We must go through with the Women’s Reservation Bill for it’s an idea whose time has come
Abha Chaudhary
President, Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress
Let me state at the outset that the Women’s Reservation Bill has cleared the very important first hurdle in the Rajya Sabha because of the personal commitment displayed by the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. It has taken 14 long years for this Bill to be considered seriously by our Parliamentarians; but I would gladly say better late than never. I have no doubt that after this Bill becomes law, it will lead to dramatic and positive changes in Indian politics as well as Indian society. In a true sense, this is a transformational bill. Of course, the sceptics and cynics will continue to criticise the Bill and try their best to run it down. But then, most transformational policies and initiatives have to encounter and surmount such hurdles.
There was similar scepticism and even derision when seats at the Panchayat level were reserved for women candidates. Many said that the woman Sarpanch would only be a rubber stamp and a token figure who would endorse whatever was desired by her husband and other male relatives. Indeed, in the early years after Sarpanch seats were reserved for women, many such cases did occur and many women acted as rubber stamps for their husbands. But even as sceptics were highlighting these anomalies, there was a quiet revolution sweeping across the country. In almost every state in India, you will now find that women have made a dramatic difference in villages where they have been elected as the sarpanch. I have personally known cases where a woman sarpanch has taken bold initiatives that have resulted in the poor getting more benefits from welfare programmes like NREGS and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. Corruption has actually come down in places where dedicated women have performed the role of Sarpanch; this is particularly true in thestate of Rajasthan where the society is still deeply traditional and steeped in patriarchy.
Abha Chaudhary
President, Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress
Let me state at the outset that the Women’s Reservation Bill has cleared the very important first hurdle in the Rajya Sabha because of the personal commitment displayed by the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. It has taken 14 long years for this Bill to be considered seriously by our Parliamentarians; but I would gladly say better late than never. I have no doubt that after this Bill becomes law, it will lead to dramatic and positive changes in Indian politics as well as Indian society. In a true sense, this is a transformational bill. Of course, the sceptics and cynics will continue to criticise the Bill and try their best to run it down. But then, most transformational policies and initiatives have to encounter and surmount such hurdles.
There was similar scepticism and even derision when seats at the Panchayat level were reserved for women candidates. Many said that the woman Sarpanch would only be a rubber stamp and a token figure who would endorse whatever was desired by her husband and other male relatives. Indeed, in the early years after Sarpanch seats were reserved for women, many such cases did occur and many women acted as rubber stamps for their husbands. But even as sceptics were highlighting these anomalies, there was a quiet revolution sweeping across the country. In almost every state in India, you will now find that women have made a dramatic difference in villages where they have been elected as the sarpanch. I have personally known cases where a woman sarpanch has taken bold initiatives that have resulted in the poor getting more benefits from welfare programmes like NREGS and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. Corruption has actually come down in places where dedicated women have performed the role of Sarpanch; this is particularly true in thestate of Rajasthan where the society is still deeply traditional and steeped in patriarchy.
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