Anil Anand
Never ever in the recent past or if one may say during the last seven decades the issue of women’s rights publically received support from the highest offices of the country as on the eve of the International Women’s Day-2016. The settings were ideal thanks to Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs Sumitra Mahajan’s foresight in gathering the women legislators of the country under one-roof vis-a-vis President, Vice President and Prime Minister of the country not only to celebrate the day but also mull over women’s related issues.
No doubt the two day conference of the women MPs/MLAs/ MLCs, was a unique gathering with the final session taking place in the Central Hall of Parliament. But never before the issue of the long-standing Women’s Reservation Bill seemed reaching near the reckoning day as in this conference. The Bill with a provision for 33 per cent of seats for women in Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies was passed by Rajya Sabha in 2010 but got stuck in the Lower House for sheer political reasons and lapsed with 15th Lok Sabha.
President Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Mr Hamid Ansari drew attention not only of the Government but also the political spectrum towards the modest number of women representation in Parliament. Tone, in fact, was set by Mr Ansari while pointing out that there was only 12 per cent representation of women in the Parliament and only 4 per cent in its various committees and the President in his address followed the act.
So the need for Women’s Reservation Bill!
Many in the packed Vigyan Bhawan thought that the Bill becoming a reality, perhaps, was not too far. But the big “if” again crept in. Despite all this happening in the benign presence of Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi who spent more than an hour on the inaugural day evincing keen interest in the deliberations as he was only to address the valedictory session the next day, the same spirit could not be carried through to the concluding day.
He was duly applauded by Mr Mukherjee for spending so much time on the inaugural day even when the former had no function to perform.
Mr Modi’s studied silence on the Women’s Reservation Bill in his closing address did cause some dejection among the 300 women legislators attending the meet but the first of its kind conference achieved a new milestone in focusing on women’s role in democratic processes and power sharing. Apparently, political and electoral compulsions might have weighed heavily on the PM’s mind as his silence surprised many in the backdrop of the fact that BJP had all along been supporting the Bill.
Even though Mr Modi skirted the Women Reservation Bill, he felt that mere changes in the system will not suffice alone. What women need is to empower themselves to become effective representatives of the people.
“Some changes in structure keep on happening but the need is for the women leaders to empower themselves technologically and make effective interventions. You will have to make yourself effective. You will have to present issues with facts and figures. Merely changes in the system will not suffice,” said Mr Modi, while counselling that “you should have the knowledge of subjects”. But his silence on the issue of political empowerment befuddled many.
Try to develop your independent image in their constituencies was his further suggestion. Ostensibly, this suggestion was guided by the nefarious trends of many women legislators being backseat driven by their spouses. “Once the image of your working style and your views is established among people, it will last for long. You will see people accepting your ideas once you are thus established,” added the Prime Minister.
A vital question earlier tossed by President Mr Mukherjee remained unanswered. How can there be empowerment without representation? This was his simple and plain question and the answer to which lay in the Women’s Reservation Bill.
The author of this unique experiment Speaker Mrs Sumitra Mahajan was seen playing a strong matriarchal role. Not only did she made an impassioned appeal to provide due rights to the women but she was equally emphatic in asking the women legislators and as a whole to diligently perform their roles in all spheres of life.
The conference has set a strong agenda for women’s legislators to follow. It has also thrown gauntlet at the government of the day to ensure they are adequately represented at all levels and at the same time reminding these legislators that ultimately their performance would go a long way in securing their rights.
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