Reduced quota for women is new Cong move to end impasse

With no consensus on quota for women in Parliament and state assemblies, the Congress has initiated an exercise to try and end the stalemate.

With no consensus on quota for women in Parliament and state assemblies, the Congress has initiated an exercise to try and end the stalemate. An effort is being made to make both sides — those for and against the reservation of seats — climb down from their stated positions and agree to a women’s quota ranging between 20 and 25 per cent, down from the proposed 33 per cent.

Highly placed sources have told The Indian Express that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has opened a dialogue with RJD leader Lalu Prasad and SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, key opponents of the Women’s Reservation Bill in its present form. The third principal opponent of the Bill, the JD (U), is not yet in the loop.

Lalu is an ally of the Congress and relations between Mulayam and Congress have improved after four years of tension. While the Congress expects help from both to drum up electoral support ahead of Lok Sabha polls with a pro-woman legislation, it cannot hope for a similar favour from JD(U), a key component of the opposition NDA.

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The sources said the proposal envisages that the RJD and SP drop their demand for a sub-quota for OBCs and minorities in lieu of a reduced quota for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

The Congress has pointed out to both parties that rhetoric apart, their demand is constitutionally untenable — there is no quota for OBCs and minority communities anyway in Parliament. As far as Dalits and Adivasis are concerned, women belonging to these categories will automatically get their shares in the quota, corresponding with the overall quota earmarked for these sections.

The Bill is under scrutiny of the Parliamentary standing committee, but the Congress leadership is working for a compromise at the political level. The intention is to try and push it through Parliament during the monsoon session.

Mukherjee held a discussion with prominent women leaders of the Congress on the proposed compromise at the AICC headquarters on June 9. Those present included Ambika Soni, Meira Kumar, Selja, Renuka Chowdhury and Panabaka Lakshmi, all ministers, and senior party leaders Mohsina Kidwai, Margaret Alva, Prabha Thakur, Jayanthi Natarajan, Krishna Tirath and Tejaswini Ramesh, besides Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and his deputy V Narayanasami.

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“The meeting was organised to enable party leaders to express their views on how the Bill could be passed,” Natarajan said later. “Our stand remains unchanged. We are for the Bill,” she said. She steered clear of questions on whether the party was flexible on the reservation of 33 per cent seats for women. “How can I say all these things?,” she asked.

Through with the meeting, Mukherjee went to 10 Janpath and briefed Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the discussions.

The Congress is not sure of the BJP response to any cut in the quota for women. A pragmatic view is that the BJP would oppose the proposal, but still back the legislation in its amended form. The Left too may grudgingly back the idea. But the mood in the Government is to carry the Bill through because “the message of being pro-women is more important than the quantum of seats”.