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Journalism of Courage
Rajya Sabha was Thursday chaired by a number of women MPs across party lines amid the discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill, tabled by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, through the morning and afternoon sessions.
With a visitors’ gallery packed with women watching on, the following members took over the chair in quick succession — P T Usha, S Phangnon Konyak (BJP), Jaya Bachchan (SP), Saroj Pandey (BJP), Rajani Ashokrao Patil (Congress), Fauzia Khan (NCP), Dola Sen (TMC), Indu Bala Goswami (BJP) Kanimozhi (DMK), Kavita Patidar (BJP), Mahua Maji (JMM), Kalpana Saini (BJP) and Sulata Deo (BJD).
“They will have the occasion, along with the panel (of existing vice-chairpersons) to be in the chair for some time, in order to send a message to the world that they were in a commanding position at a time when this historic change was taking place,” said Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar after announcing their names.
Dhankhar took over the chair for several short stints, while deputy chairperson Harivansh did so once.
So unusual were the day’s proceedings that when SP MP Jaya Bacchhan took the chair, DMK MP R Girirajan addressed her as “Chairman sir”. She was quick to correct him — “Chairwoman”.
Congress Rajya Sabha member Ranjeet Ranjan kicked off the debate, asking why President Droupadi Murmu, a woman and the first person from the tribal community to hold the high office, was not invited for the opening of the new Parliament.
Ranjan also questioned why it took the BJP nine-and-a-half years to bring the Bill despite promising it in the party’s election manifesto in 2014.
“You speak of the Bill in terms of ‘daan’ and ‘puja’, but this is our Constitutional right. By using such language you are denigrating the andolan (struggle) that women have carried out. You have used words like ‘vandan’, but we know that the worship you profess for women on the outside, actually you worship power on the inside. Otherwise why would you shield a rapist as women (wrestlers) demonstrate at Jantar Mantar and two women were paraded naked in Manipur,” said Ranjan.
She also demanded reservations for OBCs, similar to that for SCs and STs.
TMC’s Dola Sen questioned why the Bill had been tabled “suddenly” ahead of the 2024 elections. “What was the compulsion behind doing this? Since the Opposition has come together under the banner of INDIA, the Treasury benches are worried… our leader Mamata Banerjee was on the committee looking into the Bill, so was Sushma Swaraj. We pay our respects to them. You say that Modi hai toh mumkin hai. But the delimitation and census proposed will only take place after 2026. This is just like other Bills brought by the BJP, like the CAA and NRC — which you brought by force, but were unable to implement.”
