This was published in the print edition of Economic and Political Weekly. (Issue October 26, 1996)
Given that the marginalisation of women is integrally linked to the marginalisation of all decent people from our party politics, we need wide-spectrum electoral reforms that will curb the role of muscle and money power in politics and democratise decision-making in the political parties and a sensible proportional representation system which facilitates representation of various marginalised groups without mechanical reservation quotas.
WOMEN who have lobbied for the last few years for a constitutional amendment reserving a 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies responded angrily when the bill didn’t go through on the same day that it was presented and the matter was referred to a select committee of parliament. They interpreted the demand for a more thorough discussion on the proposal as an attempt to sabotage it, as proof that our men are still seeped in patriarchal antiwomen values. While there is no doubt that some male politicians are feeling perturbed at the prospect of having to suddenly yield so much ground to women, what transpired on the last two days of the monsoon session of Lok Sabha gives little cause for pessimism. It is a characteristic case of looking at a glass as half-full or half-empty.
It is noteworthy that the move to reserve one-third of seats for women has the formal endorsement of virtually every major political party in the country. The BJP, the Congress, the Janata Dal and the CPI(M) have each promised 33 per cent reservation for women in their election manifestos for 1996. Even though many of these parties’ members are unhappy at being cornered into actually implementing their poll promise, they dare not oppose the move openly. During the parliamentary debate, very few male politicians opposed the principle of reservations for women and the few who did so were put down by their own male colleagues for their indiscretion. A few MPs pointed to technical flaws and limitations of the bill. Not all of these objections were frivolous, although some indeed were trying to delay or sabotage it. Women members took the offensive and wanted the bill passed the same day without any debate since this was the last day of the session…
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