When it was first introduced in Parliament 25 years ago, the Women’s Reservation Bill is yet to become a reality. First introduced in 1996, the bill went through several rounds in parliament, only to be rejected each time.
In 2008, the late Law Minister HR Bhardwaj was set to introduce the ‘New and Improved Women’s Reservation Bill’ in the Rajya Sabha. The bill sought 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures and promised a quota for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes within the ambit of the law.
But before it could be heard and discussed, uproar in the Upper House of Parliament obstructed the passage of the bill and several members of the Samajwadi Party attempted to snatch and cut the bill. However, the bill was saved from being torn down by a ring made by women present in Parliament including Renuka Chowdhury, Jayanthi Natarajan and Alka Balaram Kshatriya. The Bill was compulsorily referred to the Standing Committee for review after which it was re-introduced and passed by the Upper House in 2010. However, this soon ended with the 15th Lok Sabha.
This was the fourth time the bill was introduced in Parliament and failed to pass. This was opposed on several grounds and some accused it of propagating ‘proxy culture’ or ‘sarpanch pati’. For those supporting the bill, however, it stands as a means to empower women who remain marginalized in political discourse.
Experts argue that the bill assumes significant significance in a country like India that envisions a new egalitarian society that envisages equal rights for men and women, especially in a scenario where there is a marginal increase in the number of women MPs. happened.
Going back to its origins, the idea of the bill originated from a constitutional amendment in 1993, which mandated that one-third of the posts of sarpanch (or leader of the council) in a village panchayat should be reserved for women.
The bill was opposed on several occasions and critics argued that it would highlight the lack of qualifications of women as they would enter on the basis of reservation.
Opponents argue that this will perpetuate the unequal status of women because they will not be considered competing on the basis of merit. They also argue that the policy diverts attention from larger issues of electoral reform, such as criminalization of politics and inner-party democracy. is,” PRS Legislative Research said in a research paper, Hindustan Times reports.
Some women MPs like TMC’s Sushmita Devi stressed the need to introduce political reforms with the bill. While BJP leaders argued that the need for women’s reservation was unnecessary if one ‘followed the ruling party model’, which rewards people on merit, whether male or female.
According to PRS Legislative Research, there are 78 women MPs in the Lok Sabha at present. This is the highest number in the history of the House. Earlier there were only 24 women members in the Lok Sabha.
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