By Dr. Gyan Pathak
“Women’s Reservation” has become the most politically correct terminology of the day, as we have seen within the Parliament of India, and have been seeing outside in the public. However, the question is which political party or alliance will derive maximum benefit out of the historical event of passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Parliament of India, especially in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election 2024?
Answering this question is not easy, since RSS-BJP propaganda machine is working at full capacity factor giving all credit to their beloved star leader PM Narendra Modi who would be seeking his third term, while the opposition INDIA alliance leaders have been trying their best to expose the tricks played by his government to delay its implementation to some uncertain time in future.
As it is in the habit of PM Modi and his government to promise everything for the future never to be fulfilled, such as doubling of farmers income, house for all, and 38 other things by 2022, their most recent promise was to make India a developed nation by 2047. The latest promise was made on implementation of the Women’s Reservation was also posted for future by his government in 2029, only after completion of the process of delimitation of constituencies and the census.
This target may fail if we go by the track record as we have seen in 40 other promises of Modi government intended to be fulfilled by 2022, and the likely hurdle that have been brought unnecessary by tying Women’s Reservation to delimitation and census. Experts believe that Indian women may have to wait for its implementation until 2039 on account of tricks played by the Modi government.
PM Modi is being made champion of women’s reservation by RSS-BJP propaganda machinery. BJP women leaders and workers are saying “Thank You Modi Ji” for passage of Women’s Reservation Bill in the Parliament of India. PM Modi has also been taking full credit for it by telling the people of the country that he fulfilled his commitment. He has also congratulated women of the country on this occasion. BJP hopes that it would give them political mileage among women during the Lok Sabha election 2024, but no one can be sure of that, especially when the opposition political parties in within India alliance are all out to expose the trick played on women and how they were ditched by delaying its actual implementation from immediate effect. Who finally derives the political benefit in 2024 would depend much on which political party or alliance would be able to convince the women electorate.
It must be noted that the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in the parliament of India now has much deviated from the clarity with which it was first given shape by the United Front Government in 1996. The present Bill is full of lacunae as the opposition has pointed out in the Parliament during debate, and it is alleged that it was intentional by the government since they did not actually want to implement the legislation from immediate effect. Union Minister of Law and Union Home Minister had no answer of the questions raised except that “delimitation commission would look into the issue” relating to its implementation.
CPI is rightly trying to take credit for initiation of the Women’s Reservation Bill in 1996 under United Front Government when Geeta Mukherjee of CPI led a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The Bill could not be passed on account of differences regarding reservation of OBCs. The Bill of 2023 has also this issue unresolved, which may be exploited by the INDIA alliance, at a time when BJP is trying to play OBC politics in its favour.
Obviously, BJP or PM Modi cannot take full credit for passage of the Bill, on other reasons too. Under UPA led government Women’s Reservation Bill was introduced in 2008. PM Modi led government has brought this Bill after nine years of rule on the eve of 2024 Lok Sabha election, is only because of political compulsions, without intention to implement it immediately, or why should they link it to delimitation and census?
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that Women’s reservation bill is ‘distraction tactic’ of BJP-led government from providing OBC quota. “The truth is that 33 per cent reservation can be given to women in Parliament and state assemblies today itself, it’s not a complicated matter. The government has presented this before the country but it will be implemented 10 years from now. Nobody knows if this will even be implemented,” he said today during a press briefing.
The issue of Caste Census and OBC quotas have lately emerged as important issues in the country, originating from Bihar and spreading across the country up to Maharashtra. Rahul Gandhi has pinpointedly said, “… in Parliament … I asked whey only three out of 90 belong to the OBC community? … I don’t understand that PM Modi speaks of OBCs every day but what did he do for them?” The Congress has said delimitation and census were “poor excuses” for the postponement of the women’s quota and alleged that the entire exercise was to create an election issue, without actually implementing it.
“Women’s reservation bill is less than precise, sub-optimal, and uncertain,” says a social scientist Yogendra Yadav. “This was a farcical way of enacting one of the most far-reaching democratic reforms in post-Independence India. … unless we have some extraordinary constitutional device, we are looking at 2039 as the year of implementation.” Trickery, absurdity, and uncertainty marks the Bill, he says.
Even during the debates in the Parliament of India we heard critical ambiguity in the Bill itself. One of them was exposed by BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, such as the final bill says that one-thirds “of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election to the House of the People shall be reserved for women”. It was not mentioned in the bill how? At the central level, state level, rotational basis or what and when and what will happen to social justice? BJD is politically important for BJP in post poll scenario, while in Odisha they will be contesting each other. It indicates that BJD too would like to expose the BJP’s game plan.
The present male MP’s of the BJP were not ready to leave space for the women and hence, PM Modi government had to devise a plan of women’s reservation as legal document with not immediate implementation. Why BJP male MP’s are not ready to leave their seats for women now, and make provisions for the future generations to face the political consequences of the half-baked law filled with numerous lacunae?
Nirmala Sitharaman has explained the legalities of the Bill in Rajya Sabha and assured that it is “Not a Jumla”, as the opposition has alleged it to be. There are obviously two versions of the political narrative on Women’s Reservation Bill – one of the BJP and the other of INDIA alliance. Whoever would be able to convince the electorate would be the gainer. (IPA Service)
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