The Women's Reservation Bill is back again after 14 years of vanvas. It passed the Upper House but failed the real test, which is in the Lower House. Now the question is, why is 33.3% reservation for women so important? Is this Bill going to change the state of women in India so significantly? Not to sound pessimistic, but we doubt it.

The proposed legislation to reserve 33.3 per cent seats in Parliament and State legislatures for women was drafted first by the United Front government headed by H. D. Deve Gowda. The purpose of this Bill is to increase participation of women at each level of legislative decision - making, starting with the Lok Sabha down to State and local legislatures.

Now if 33.3 per cent reservation for women is added to the already existing 22.5 per cent for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, more than 55 per cent of seats in Parliament would be reserved. So what is left is 45% for others. The members who come under reserved constituency can also contest in the non - reserved category. Is this fair? In a country of over a billion, 55% of the House of Representatives are from reserved constituency. Will they be fair to the non - reserved 45% who constitute 500 million Indians?

May be that’s why the Law Ministry has prepared two drafts of the Women's Reservation Bill. The first with reservation of 33.3 per cent seats for women and another calling for increasing the strength of the two Houses by 33.3 per cent which means the number of representatives in the Parliament rises from 545 to 900.

These days it seems it's very unfashionable to speak anything against women. Men who question or try to debate against overtly women - friendly policies are seen as men with a medieval mindset. I assure my women readers my views here are not that of a man steeped in medieval mindset but that of a questioning one.

If this Bill is going to emancipate women, then great, but when was the last time we heard of a reservation policy that truly fulfilled its destiny? Yes, it indeed has helped, but it has equally been misused as a political tool.

The key to India's success as a nation, not in terms of GDP but in terms of the quality of its people, lies in the hands of women. For that to happen we don't so desperately need a Women's Bill but instead we need a government which is willful in implementing the various programmes meant to empower women.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development, in collaboration with the National Commission for Women, has done a mediocre job but they need to do more, much more. Some have claimed these two arms have spent too much time making laws that are being misused in an urban setup than polices which make a difference to the poor, underprivileged and the exploited Indian women — women who actually need help. The government must pay attention to women's education which will kindle a woman’s spirit of independence and instill in her a sense of equality. But this must be done without instilling in them “men – are – the - enemy” mindset.

The government must convey the message that a girl child is of economic value in the modern Indian economy. Women leaders must be projected as examples. And these messages and initiatives must be pushed hard and repeatedly to see any significant improvement in empowering women.

Another question. Is only a woman capable of representing and safeguarding the interests of women? Would a man like Shashi Tharoor do any less for the cause of women than a Mayawati? Who would a woman like to handle women’s policy matters — Chidambaram or Rabri Devi? Implementation of policies is not about gender, it's about the quality of the person in-charge of implementing those polices.

This Bill looks like it is going to end up as a new election tool in the hands of unruly and cunning politicians. The Bill might help the cause of women, but it will also help the cause of fathers, uncles and husbands to live their political dreams through their daughters, nieces and wives. Take the example of our own city: Call your local Lady Corporator and ask her to address a problem. See who your phone call is directed to and you will have your answer for the potency of the Reservation Bill. Many women elected through the Reservation Bill will be mere puppets while their husbands, uncles and fathers will be the puppeteers.

This Bill might just end up empowering posh socialite women or women with the backing of two M's — Muscle and Money. Passing such a Bill must be the last resort, at least until the government has tried to effectively implement what is already in place.

If established women in politics really wanted to bring about change to their ilk, if they really wanted women to enter politics, then why did they not give tickets to more women candidates? After all, Sonia Gandhi, Jayalalitha and Mayawati, to name a few, are powerful women who are Presidents of their respective parties.

In the recent 15th Lok Sabha elections, out of the 443 candidates declared by the Congress, only 40 were women which is less than 10%. The BJP fielded even lesser, 43 women out of 427. Left parties gave only 5% of the tickets to women. The CPM only fielded 4 women candidates out of 80 and CPI gave only 3 seats to women out of the 45. But to give credit, there were more women contesting than the previous years. Now, why can’t all parties supporting the Bill just give more tickets to women? Why don't all these leaders get the Parliament to pass a Bill which makes 33 % reservation for women mandatory in a political party?

Also a point to be noted is that this reservation is only for 15 years. Now the success of reservation policies in a vastly populate nation like ours is hard to measure. So the time could be extended like it has been for all other reservations. Our leaders would do a great service in implementing the various government programmes for women effectively instead of simply going after laws that get misused for election purposes.

This Reservation Bill, if passed, will surely reduce the number of unruly men entering the Parliament, but you can be assured they will be standing outside having a good laugh as they will be well - represented by their feminine alter egos within the sacred walls of our democracy.

Vikram Muthanna
vikram@starofmysore.com
Courtesy: Star of Mysore