People's Democracy

Women’s Bill Back On The Agenda

Brinda Karat

THE prime minister’s public assurance that the women’s reservation bill would be brought before parliament in the winter session is an indication that the continuous behind the scene efforts by various leaders and parties to push the bill forward is bearing some fruit. During the last session of parliament women’s organisations on their part had mobilised thousands of women in a sustained agitation which showed clearly enough if any such proof was required, that for women the issue is very much on the agenda.

For ten years the bill has been in cold storage. In the meanwhile countries across the world have taken measures to increase women’s representation. Electoral systems differ, therefore the route to enhance women’s representation has been varied. Today 98 countries have constitutional, electoral or political party quotas. In over 20 countries where there is proportional representation system the route of reservations in party lists through a check off system has been quite effective. In some countries parties have a quota system implementation of which is linked to their getting State funds for elections. In countries like Germany, France, Italy, Brazil major parties have quota systems for their own list of candidates. 

But, shamefully India which through its reservation of one third seats in panchayat and local bodies laid out the path as long ago as 1993, has today fallen far behind as shown by recent statistics. With just 8 per cent women in parliament India is in poor comparison even with its neighbours. If the statistics for the state assemblies in India are added many of who have populations larger than numerous countries, the Indian record is even more shocking. There have been state assembly elections in 14 states since 2004. In these states the average percentage of women elected is only 6.62 per cent. This brings India to the lowest rung of the ladder. Pakistan has made a dramatic increase in women’s representation in provincial and national bodies in just four years from 1.4 per cent to 22 per cent, Afghanistan has 27.3 per cent women representatives, Bangladesh has a guarantee of 13 per cent from the next elections and Nepal has declared one third seats for women in the next elections. Twenty countries across the world have achieved 30 per cent or more. Apart from the Nordic countries these include low and middle income countries like South Africa, Rwanda, (which has 49 per cent), Argentina (41 per cent) Mozambique and Tanzania. Palestine besieged by war and aggression has quotas for 20 per cent representation of women. 

Therefore the urgency for the UPA government to ensure the passage of the reservation bill cannot be over emphasised. Under Article 368 of the constitution for the successful passage of a bill to amend the constitution it will require the “majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting” and “shall also require to be ratified by the legislatures of not less than one-half of the states.” In an era of coalition politics both at the centre and in the states and the political reality that different parties are running governments in different states a constitutional amendment will require agreement among political parties to ensure that the numbers add up. 

The problem in the present situation arises because of the utterly opportunistic stand of the BJP. Even as efforts are being made to bring round those who have been opposing the bill, the former prime minister Vajpayee chose such a time to declare that the BJP would only support a proposal for enhancing women’s representation if it was to enhance the number of seats by one-third and not the original bill for reservation of seats. This was the proposal made by the home minister last year. After detailed discussions with all parties including the BJP it emerged that the majority of parties believed that this proposal would once more delay the entire process. The present delimitation process has been going on for three years but is still not completed. Various parties and candidates, depending on their perception of their own base in the area, hotly contest every area in a constituency that is sought to be removed or added. To reopen the process for 543 constituencies means that in any case women would have to forget about reservations at least for seats in the next Lok Sabha elections. But unfortunately the BJP’s vacillating and opportunistic stand makes it clear that the votaries of the bill cannot count on the BJP’s support in the core strategy to bring the bill to parliament.

It is here that the support of all coalition partners of the UPA becomes crucial. Earlier women’s organisations had rightly demanded that regardless of the support or opposition of members of the UPA coalition the government should bring the bill since the numbers added up. As can be seen now this situation has changed with the BJP’s shifting stance. Therefore the UPA and supporting parties will have to go to parliament with a united approach. In discussions at different levels with leaders of all concerned parties it is clear that all parties in government including the NCP, DMK, PMK, LJP as well as Left parties and BSP support the bill in its original form. The RJD has recently indicated some agreement that if firmed up there will be a breakthrough, which will enable the tabling of the bill for consideration and passage in parliament. The TDP and AIDMK have already supported the bill. On the basis of the agreement among UPA partners and the Left if the bill is moved it will be difficult for the BJP then to frontally oppose the bill. 

The BJP will be enabled to conceal its own intrinsic hostility to women’s rights by using the unfortunately ever-ready shoulders of the Samajwadi party and the JD-U to oppose the bill. Perhaps these parties too may be persuaded to accept the bill. The prime minister indicated in his recent meeting with women MPs that scenes like those witnessed in the past have to be avoided. But there is no guarantee for that and on the contrary the government must be fully prepared to counter such disruption. The procedures are well established including suspension, removal and so on. But what it requires is the political will to do so. Women across the country believe that it is a now or never situation for the women’s bill. The UPA government cannot afford to let them down.