Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hinted that his government will soon (re)introduce the ‘Women’s Reservation Bill’ in the Parliament, as he is eager to pass the Bill during the Winter Session. Immediately after receiving the news, President of the opposition Congress Party Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to the PM, suggesting that her party had actually planned to pass the Bill few years ago.
As far as the current political scenario in India is concerned, the Bill is expected to be passed in the Parliament. It will allow the government to reserve one-third or 33% of all seats (545) in the Lower House of the Indian Parliament or the Lok Sabha and in all provincial Legislative Assemblies for women. The seats were proposed to be reserved in rotation and would have been determined by draw of lots in such a way that a seat would be reserved only once in three consecutive General Elections.

Modi & Sonia Gandhi

The Upper House of the Parliament or Rajya Sabha had passed the Bill on March 9, 2010. However, the Lok Sabha never voted on the Bill and the Bill lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.
Although some leaders opposed the Bill in the past, all the major parties are currently backing the government’s move. So, the Winter Session of Parliament can create history, if the Modi government introduces the Bill.
Meanwhile, women’s rights activists have raised an important question: is it possible for the Bill to change women’s status in the South Asian country? Indeed, it’s a difficult question.

Indian women MPs

The main essence of the Women’s Reservation Bill is symbolic. Even today, only 12% of Indian MPs are women. In such a scenario, the PM’s initiative is important. Prime Minister Modi, who is well aware of the fact that the Indian society is against women’s empowerment, has made clear that the state is ready to give the ‘power’ to them. A section of the Indian society still believes that women should stay inside their homes. But, the PM (read the state) is supporting the concept that women, like men, have every right to enjoy freedom and join different activities. The PM’s decision is also significant in current social circumstances, keeping in mind the increasing incidents of crime against women in India.
The Women’s Reservation Bill will definitely establish the fact that there is no difference between men and women at workplaces (or in modern-day India). So, the importance of such a Bill is huge in a country, where only 27% of women are working in various sectors.

At the same time, it’s also important to discuss the moral arguments in favour of women’s reservation. The Bill will certainly help women, who are very poor and victims of socio-economic discrimination, stand on their feet. But, there is no need to reserve seats for daughters and wives of millionaires and influential leaders. Or else, such a move will send a wrong message to women’s rights activists and to those, who are trying hard to protect women’s dignity in the Indian society.
Also, it is important for us to know that if all the parties are really interested in empowering women, then why don’t they nominate female candidates (at least in half of the seats) during elections? In fact, India has a long tradition of using women as pawns in politics. It will be interesting to see how the entry of 182 women into the Lower House of the Parliament can change the lives of 600 million women in India.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das