Indian govt refuses to budge on women bill
Published: Mar 11, 2010 21:22 Updated: Mar 11, 2010 21:22
NEW DELHI: Despite days of parliamentary chaos and harsh condemnation from its allies, India's ruling party said Thursday it will push ahead with a constitutional amendment to reserve one-third of federal and state legislative seats for women.
The quota, an attempt to empower the often-marginalized women of India, is seen as a signature initiative of Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi.
The powerful lower house of Parliament, the Lok Sabha, briefly discussed the issue Thursday, before protests by lawmakers forced the house to adjourn. Two days earlier, a bill to amend the constitution was overwhelmingly approved by the upper house, the Rajya Sabha, in a raucous session that included a walkout of some legislators and the ejection of others.
Under Indian law, constitutional amendments require approval of both houses of Parliament and then half of India's 28 states before taking effect. Because of breaks in the parliamentary calendar, the measure is unlikely to be brought to a vote in the lower house before mid-April.
Congress party spokeswoman Jayanthi Natarajan said her party remained firmly committed to the bill.
“We have shown that we mean business by getting it passed in the Rajya Sabha, by withstanding all the challenges and obstacles,” Natarajan told NDTV television station.
First proposed 14 years ago, the bill has never made it this far. But Congress' Socialist allies strongly oppose it and in recent days have hinted they could withdraw their support for the government if it is approved.
They want to amend the bill to ensure that some of the reserved seats go to the country's Muslim minority and to low-caste communities, or Dalits, who are their core supporters.
“Include the Dalit and Muslim women in the bill, this will create equality in society,” said Mulayam Singh Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi Party.
Sonia Gandhi responded that the parties should simply nominate women from the minority groups to run as their candidates.
Many political leaders also worry that their male-dominated parties would have to completely reinvent themselves to maintain power.
Opposition from the Socialist parties could reduce the government's support in Parliament and create problems for future legislation.
Gandhi has refused to back down in her support for the plan.
“Of course our party is committed or we wouldn't have taken the first step,” she told the NDTV station hours after Tuesday's vote.
Though some women have held top positions in government, Indian women have long suffered discrimination and are among the most marginalized groups in the country.
There have been some gains in recent years with women assuming powerful political positions, such as Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar and President Pratibha Patil.
While the government has lost support from some of its allies, it has gained the support of the main opposition parties, including the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party and communist groups, which supported the bill in the upper house.
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