THE Women's Reservation Bill has been put on the backburner once again with the BJP coming out with the improbable suggestion that one-third of the Lok Sabha constituencies should have two MPs — one male and one female! Extrapolating that logic, each State Assembly should have dual representation. As though the colossal cost of maintaining one MP or MLA per constituency is not enough of a burden for the country!
For a healthy era of politics of consensus, all aspects on which ruling Congress and opposition BJP have consensus like Women-Reservation-Bill should be included in Prime Minister's initial 100-days agenda.
With many of most vocal opponent UPA allies to the long-pending Women-Reservation-Bill like Lalu Yadav and A Ramadoss rejected by voters, Congress should march ahead to get Women-Reservation-Bill passed in its original form without any distortion or dilution.
Unlike all other man-made aspects for ‘Reservation' like caste or tribe, women constituting 50-per cent of population are dominated section of society created by nature also in terms of body-built and physique, and do require ‘Reservation' in present male-dominated society.
However, Election Commission's formula to make it compulsory for every political party to give at least 33-per cent party-tickets to women can also be considered. But such compulsion should be state-wise so as to avoid parties fulfilling the formality by giving party-tickets to women in states where their poll-prospects may be dim. Move will also enable parties demanding ‘quota-within-quota' to implement the same in ticket-distribution!
Moreover, India's neighbors - provide a fair quota for women. Nepal has 33% reservation for women, Pakistan 22% and Bangladesh 14%. In March 2007, statistics released by the Inter-Parliamentary Union revealed that India ranked very low - 108 - among 189 countries so far as the percentage of women lawmakers in its Lower House was concerned. So question arises that why should India, the largest democracy in the world, lag behind?
