Its the Bill that is making international headlines. Congress President Sonia Gandhi making it clear that the Women's Reservation Bill has reached the "now or never" stage. Though many people have already made the point about the bad timing of the Bill, one still cant understand why it was "bulldozed " in the Rajya Sabha.
Lack of floor coordination was amply clear and all that was needed to do was to give these dissenting MP's a chance to articulate their views. Ok, agreed that it may have taken a few more days for the Bill to go through, but wouldnt it have given the UPA floor managers more time to get their act together. Yet the fact remains that if it wasnt for Sonia Gandhi's insistence, the Bill would still be gathering dust in Parliament.
If you ever come to Vijay Chowk outside Parliament, you will find an old lady selling fruits during the day. She lives near the Kalkaji Temple, buys fresh fruits from Okhla Mandi, takes a bus to Central Secretariat and then goes about her business. She first sells to the tourists who come in buses to see Parliament, and then its the journalists, OB engineers and ofcourse the Police who are all a permanent fixture when Parliament is in session.
During the period of the three days when the fate of the Bill was still unclear, I couldnt help but think of that lady. She is in her fifties, simple and extremely hardworking. Yet she remains blissfully unaware of the landmark Bill that was passed in the Rajya Sabha. And the question that kept haunting me was " Will the likes of this lady ever make it to Parliament ?".
This Bill is being showcased as giving equal rights to women in policy making of the country. But will it make that qualitative difference that we are actually looking for ? I know one has to start somewhere, yet why does one get the feeling that the Bill is being pushed in a hurry. Its not as if India has never given women the lead role in politics. Indiraji still remains one of our longest serving Prime Ministers. Sheila Dikshit is successfully in her third term as Delhi Chief Minister, may even run for the fourth. Mayawati and Mamta Bannerjee need no introduction.
The system has given enough chance for able people to come through the ranks. But if the Bill is really aimed at the rural women, then there definitely needs to be some introspection. No denying success stories where women have changed the face of politics, but they sadly remain a small percentage. Most of the women in Panchayat posts are run by their husbands, so why not stem the rot at the grassroot level first. If we can create a system where we can actually have women doing their own thing in Panchayats, then they will anyways win on their own and no reservation will be required to help them.
Till we can involve or give people like the old lady who sells fruits at Vijay Chowk a chance or hope that they too can play a part in the decision making process, this Bill will remain fundamentally flawed. Because that lady works as hard as any other person, toiling in the sun and yet smiling. She uses her savings to buy fruits and then carries them on her head the whole day till she can sell most of it. She could have taken the easier option of selling tobacco, cigarettes, pan masala etc. Things that sell easily, and people are willing to pay a substantially higher price than the MRP for these addictions. Yet this woman prefers to sell fresh fruits, even expounding the virtues of each fruit that she sells to people she likes.
That is the fundamental change that women can bring, a sense of being upright even when easier temptations are available. All the others who sell snacks at Vijay Chowk never forget to carry pan masala and cigarettes with them, little wonder that they are all men ! Always ready to make a quick buck at the expense of other people's health, but who cares. No one, not the person buying or selling. But that woman does, yet she remains outside the ambit of the debate on the Bill.
Till we can work out a formula where we listen patiently to the reservations of various political parties, this Bill doesnt have a future. You dont have to amend the Bill to everyone's liking as that would finish the objective of the Bill, but try and accomodate as much as possible. Because at the moment, the objective may be noble and clear but the path remains confused.
Lack of floor coordination was amply clear and all that was needed to do was to give these dissenting MP's a chance to articulate their views. Ok, agreed that it may have taken a few more days for the Bill to go through, but wouldnt it have given the UPA floor managers more time to get their act together. Yet the fact remains that if it wasnt for Sonia Gandhi's insistence, the Bill would still be gathering dust in Parliament.
If you ever come to Vijay Chowk outside Parliament, you will find an old lady selling fruits during the day. She lives near the Kalkaji Temple, buys fresh fruits from Okhla Mandi, takes a bus to Central Secretariat and then goes about her business. She first sells to the tourists who come in buses to see Parliament, and then its the journalists, OB engineers and ofcourse the Police who are all a permanent fixture when Parliament is in session.
During the period of the three days when the fate of the Bill was still unclear, I couldnt help but think of that lady. She is in her fifties, simple and extremely hardworking. Yet she remains blissfully unaware of the landmark Bill that was passed in the Rajya Sabha. And the question that kept haunting me was " Will the likes of this lady ever make it to Parliament ?".
This Bill is being showcased as giving equal rights to women in policy making of the country. But will it make that qualitative difference that we are actually looking for ? I know one has to start somewhere, yet why does one get the feeling that the Bill is being pushed in a hurry. Its not as if India has never given women the lead role in politics. Indiraji still remains one of our longest serving Prime Ministers. Sheila Dikshit is successfully in her third term as Delhi Chief Minister, may even run for the fourth. Mayawati and Mamta Bannerjee need no introduction.
The system has given enough chance for able people to come through the ranks. But if the Bill is really aimed at the rural women, then there definitely needs to be some introspection. No denying success stories where women have changed the face of politics, but they sadly remain a small percentage. Most of the women in Panchayat posts are run by their husbands, so why not stem the rot at the grassroot level first. If we can create a system where we can actually have women doing their own thing in Panchayats, then they will anyways win on their own and no reservation will be required to help them.
Till we can involve or give people like the old lady who sells fruits at Vijay Chowk a chance or hope that they too can play a part in the decision making process, this Bill will remain fundamentally flawed. Because that lady works as hard as any other person, toiling in the sun and yet smiling. She uses her savings to buy fruits and then carries them on her head the whole day till she can sell most of it. She could have taken the easier option of selling tobacco, cigarettes, pan masala etc. Things that sell easily, and people are willing to pay a substantially higher price than the MRP for these addictions. Yet this woman prefers to sell fresh fruits, even expounding the virtues of each fruit that she sells to people she likes.
That is the fundamental change that women can bring, a sense of being upright even when easier temptations are available. All the others who sell snacks at Vijay Chowk never forget to carry pan masala and cigarettes with them, little wonder that they are all men ! Always ready to make a quick buck at the expense of other people's health, but who cares. No one, not the person buying or selling. But that woman does, yet she remains outside the ambit of the debate on the Bill.
Till we can work out a formula where we listen patiently to the reservations of various political parties, this Bill doesnt have a future. You dont have to amend the Bill to everyone's liking as that would finish the objective of the Bill, but try and accomodate as much as possible. Because at the moment, the objective may be noble and clear but the path remains confused.
