The womens reservation bill wends its weary way to Parliament again
3 min read
Whatsapp
Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
The Cabinet has okayed the highly polarising womens reservation bill,clearing the way for its inevitably stormy reception in the Lok Sabha. As it stands,one-third of the SC/ ST seats and the general category will be reserved for women in Parliament and state legislatures.
The question of womens reservation had been raised even in the Constituent Assembly,and scotched by women representatives who felt that democracy would function normally and ensure representation. However,as the decades rolled by,it became clear that fundamentally patriarchal political parties would do little to sponsor women candidates,and reservations were necessary to ensure a significant womens lobby for legislation. The abstract idea of equal citizenship was now perceived as a way of perpetrating privilege though some fear that reservation could spur patronage,with quotas cornered by the well-connected.
You’ve Read Your Free Stories For Now
Sign up and keep reading more stories that matter to you.
This legislation has been pending for 14 years. Reactions to the bill are not simply about a feminist/ anti-feminist binary there are persuasive arguments for and against the bill from both pro-women and caste-based perspectives. But the womens reservation bill has sparked such fierce rhetorical clashes,that its obvious design flaws have been overlooked. Most problematically,it proposes that the one-third reserved seats be rotated to different constituencies every election cycle so after a cycle of three elections,every constituency would have been reserved once. This could mean that an MP will have little incentive to put in long-term effort for that particular constituency,since its status as a reserved or general constituency would be unclear. Suggestions have been detailed about getting round this with double-member constituencies,but these are not yet on the table. Also,many,especially among OBC leaders,worry that this would end up as an instrument of elite control. They want a system of quotas within quotas for backward caste women,though the bill in its current form does not incorporate that concern. A Constitutional amendment needs a two-thirds majority on the floor. But this time,there might be enough political support for the bill,with the Congress,BJP,Left parties all backing it,parties like the DMK coming around for now,and the reduced clout of vociferous opponents like the RJD and SP. But given past experience,were not holding our breath.
