The Hindu : March to Parliament planned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 25, 2003

National

National

March to Parliament planned

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 24. Women from across the country will converge here tomorrow to march towards Parliament to protest the "failure" of the Government in getting the Women's Reservation Bill passed in the current session.

The march is part of the National Protest Day to be observed by women's groups against the "anti-women attitude of the National Democratic Alliance Government", the All-India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) president, Srilata Swaminathan, told presspersons here today.

"The AIPWA feels that it is the responsibility of the NDA Government to get the Bill passed since it had made this commitment to women when it came to power. Instead, it is now trying to mislead women on the pretext of an absence of consensus," she said.The march will begin at the Ramlila Grounds and culminate in a rally on Parliament Street. A memorandum will also be presented to the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

There would be no compromise on the 33 per cent reservation of seats, the AIPWA said, as this number was the "critical mass" necessary to ensure women's effective intervention in the institutions. And the attempt to build a consensus on double-member constituencies was going to be "a surrender" and a reaffirmation of patriarchal values against which women's groups have been fighting for long.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National