People's Democracy

RESERVATION FOR WOMEN

Put The Bill To Vote, Organisations Demand

On March 6, eight organisations of women addressed a letter to Smt Sushma Swaraj, the union minister for parliamentary affairs, asking her to put the women’s reservation bill to vote instead of waiting for an illusory consensus. They also opposed any alternative suggestions about reserved seats as a diversionary move to bail out the ruling alliance that has reneged from its pledge to enact the bill.

Here we reproduce the full text of the letter.

MAY we congratulate you on your assumption of the office of union minister for parliamentary affairs and also of the important health ministry. We look forward to your interventions in support of some of the issues raised by us, which fall in the jurisdiction of these ministries.

We welcome your initiative for an all-party meeting on the women’s reservation bill. However, we are all aware of the different stands taken by political parties on the issue. It is absolutely clear that no amount of discussion will create a consensus in support of the bill. In the name of finding a consensus, the bill has already been delayed for the over four years since the NDA assumed office. There have been several assembly elections in this period where the representation of women has been absolutely negligible. Later on in the year, there will be elections to several important state assemblies. The adoption of the bill has therefore an immediate urgency.  However, we were disturbed and puzzled by reports that if there is no consensus on the bill you will seek consensus on alternatives earlier suggested by the then chief election commissioner, Dr M S Gill, in April 2000. You are aware that in December 2000, the then speaker had called a meeting of political parties to discuss these alternative suggestions but there was no consensus. At that time we had strongly protested, describing it as a diversionary suggestion. Women’s demand is for minimum one-third seats in the actual decision making bodies, not in party lists. Most political parties, including the strongest, have uneven spheres of influence even within districts, leave alone at the state or national level. What is the guarantee that women will be given seats where the party is strong and confident of winning? The suggestion will provide political vested interests a loophole to retain their monopolies on the winning seats and farm out unwanted, un- winnable seats to women. Although the number of women in party lists will go up, the number of women in state assemblies and parliament would register only a marginal increase.

The consensus among women is that the women’s reservation bill should be put to vote in parliament. If those political parties who have specifically given an assurance to women in their election manifests vote for the bill, the numbers in parliament would guarantee that the votes in support of the bill would cross the two thirds required for the adoption of a constitutional amendment.

We therefore request you to ensure that the bill is listed for discussion and voting in parliament. Without such an exercise, any move for alternatives is tantamount to scrapping the reservation bill for women and will be considered a betrayal of the solemn pledge made by the prime minister and leaders of the ruling alliance repeatedly to the women of this country for the passage of the women’s reservation bill.

Our demand is simple: Put the Bill to Vote.

The letter was signed by Brinda Karat (All India Democratic Women’s Association), Suman Krishna Kant (Mahila Dakshata Samiti), Jyotsna Chatterjee (Joint Women’s Programme), Sehba Farooqui (National Federation of Indian Women), Mary Khemchand (YWCA of India), Narain Banerjee (Centre for Women’s Development Studies), Mohini Giri (Guild of Service), and Meera Khanna (Women’s Initiative for Peace in South East Asia). (INN)