The Hindu : Four suggestions on women's bill

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003

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Four suggestions on women's bill

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI JUNE 16. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Manohar Joshi, has said that though the meeting of political parties convened by him today failed to reach a consensus on the women's reservation bill, some progress had been made. "It seems we have progressed but there is difficulty in arriving at a consensus. All parties have said they were not against reservation for women but were opposed to the method of reservation," he said later. However, things took time to materialise in a democracy and as the Speaker it was his duty to see that unanimity was achieved, he added.

Sources said the Speaker had suggested that the political parties make reservation for women compulsory at the party level in the coming elections as suggested by the Election Commission and if the number of women after the elections was less than 33 per cent, they would be asked to nominate women candidates to compensate for the shortfall.

The Speaker received four alternative suggestions at the meeting. They are: (a) to pass the Bill in its present form, (b) reduce the percentage from 33 per cent to 15 or 20 per cent as proposed by the SP, (c) leave the decision of reservation to the political parties as recommended by the Election Commission and (d) increase the number of seats in the elected bodies by one-third to accommodate women.

The Samajwadi Party indicated some change in its rigid stance — it agreed to support the Bill if the percentage of reservation was reduced from 33 per cent to 15 or 20 per cent. "We do not want reservation for women at the cost of men. If we go on giving reservation, the men will end up for having only 22 per cent seats," its leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav, told reporters. He said his stand was now being supported by the JD (U), the Shiv Sena, some members of the Samata Party — all NDA allies — and the National Conference. The Congress said it could consider increasing the number of seats to accommodate women.

That there would be no consensus was clear as soon as Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav left the meeting midway to attend another function.

The RLD wants reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes and the minorities within the overall reservation for women.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, who was present at the press conference, said the Government was ready to place and support the Bill in the Lok Sabha only after a consensus was arrived at among the political parties. "We will table the Bill in the present, amended or new form but only after the political parties agree to support it," she said adding that the atmosphere needed to be conducive for the passage of this important Bill and it could not be discussed amid din and pandemonium.

Rejecting the possibility of calling a joint session of both Houses of Parliament, Ms. Swaraj said it could be done only if the Bill fell through in one of the Houses and hence could not be done in the case of the Women's Bill that had not come up for discussion even in the Lok Sabha.

The CPI (M) leader, Somnath Chatterjee, blamed the Centre for not pushing the Bill through in Parliament despite having the adequate numbers. "The attitude of the Centre is totally reprehensible because it is for the Government to place the Bill in Parliament and it is shying away because it is not sure of support from its own allies," he said.

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