NEW DELHI, 7 May 2008 — Protected by a ring of women MPs, Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj yesterday introduced a bill for the reservation of one-third of seats in Parliament for women. The bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha (lower house) amid vociferous protests from legislators belonging to the Samajwadi Party.
Expecting high drama, Bhardwaj seated himself in the middle row of treasury benches, flanked by two women ministers — Kumari Selja and Ambika Soni. Women legislators of the Congress party, including Renuka Chaudhary (Women and Child Development Minister), Jayanti Natarajan and Alka Balram Kshatriya provided Bhardwaj a protective cover. So when Abu Asim Azmi of the Samajwadi Party with his party colleagues tried snatching a copy of the bill from Bhardwaj, Renuka Chaudhary pushed Azmi away.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several other top leaders were witness to this high drama.
Amid acrimonious scenes over the bill, Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the house sine die — three days ahead of schedule — without making his customary concluding address.
The bill, first introduced in the Lok Sabha in September 1996, has yet to see the light of day. Nevertheless, its introduction in the Rajya Sabha was welcomed by Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the left bloc. “I am very happy it will lead to one third reservation for women. It is a landmark step in India’s history toward ending gender bias,” Bhardwaj said.
“Other parties have talked about it but we have actually introduced the bill. We cleared it in the Cabinet and introduced in the Rajya Sabha. Now the bill will not lapse,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said. Congratulating the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for having introduced the bill, Brinda Karat (Communist Party of India-Marxist), said: “I hope the government will ensure the passage of the bill in the same spirit in which it was introduced.”
“I am happy that the bill is introduced and also happy that it is introduced in the Rajya Sabha because it will not lapse now,” BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said. Questioning the opposition displayed by several legislators, she said: “It is unfortunate that there is not even an iota of change in the mindset of some parties.”
The opposition voiced by several parties, including the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal-United (JD-U), rests on their demand for a quota within quota for women. Though RJD legislators did not protest against the bill, their leader Lalu Prasad said: “I oppose the Women’s Reservation Bill. If it is approved then the political party should be given the freedom to decide on quota.”
Opposing the idea of a quota within the quota, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader said: “We will fight for 50 percent reservation. Our only objection is we can’t have a quota within a quota.”
With less than a year to go to a general election, Congress had to be seen to be delivering on a promise to introduce the law. “This is an election gimmick,” said political analyst Amulya Ganguli. “I don’t see any reason why those who opposed this before would let it pass this time.”
Rotating the seats reserved for women, the bill would prevent male members of Parliament from contesting from the same seat for more than two consecutive terms, a provision which opponents say is undemocratic.
Women already have a third of seats reserved for them in panchayats or village councils, a move which has helped give a voice to India’s largely downtrodden rural women and, experts say, has helped bring development in many areas.
— With input from agencies
