History was created in the Rajya Sabha when it voted by an overwhelming majority a Bill to reserve 33 per cent of the seats in Lok Sabha and Assemblies for women after the Government pushed ahead with it, ignoring possible threats to its stability and after eviction of troublesome MPs opposed to it.
Fourteen years after the first attempt was made in the Lok Sabha and repeated failures subsequently, the Constitution Amendment Bill was adopted in the mandatory division with 186 members voting for it and one voting against.
In the 245-member House with an effective strength of 233, the Bill required the backing of at least 155 members and the UPA had the clear support of 165 in the run up to the event.
The Bill seeks to reserve for women 181 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha and 1,370 out of a total of 4,109 seats in the 28 State Assemblies.
Ruling UPA constituent Trinamool Congress, which has two members, kept away from voting, while the BSP, which has opposed the Bill in its present form, walked out before voting.
The JD(U), whose president Sharad Yadav is a staunch opponent of the Bill, appears to have backed the Bill with most of its 7 members voting for it in response to the call by its senior leader Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who intervened in the discussion, described the occasion as a “momentous” and the legislation as a “historic and great” step in the empowerment of women.
“It is not not an anti-minority or anti-SC/ST Bill. But it only carries forward the emancipation of women,” he said in his brief speech allaying apprehensions of opponents like the SP and the RJD that the Bill was aimed against Muslim, OBC and Dalit women.
Last-ditch efforts by opponents of the Bill, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, the RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who have threatened to withdraw support, and the JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, failed to persuade the Prime Minister and the UPA Chairperson from not going ahead with the legislation in its present form.
The Bill had the backing of all the UPA constituents, the BJP, the Left parties and a number of small parties like the AIADMK and TDP.
The measure will now go to the Lok Sabha where too the ruling UPA has the numbers to get it passed with support from the BJP, the Left and other small parties backing it, notwithstanding opposition from the SP, the RJD and a divided JD(U).
Ms. Sonia Gandhi expressed confidence that the Government’s stability was not not under threat over passage of the Bill.
The Trinamool Congress, the largest constituent of the UPA after the Congress, kept away from voting. Its two members did not vote.
“The Prime Minister promised us yesterday that an all-party conference would be convened today. But they never told us,” Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee told reporters.
In an unprecedented action for the House of elders, seven MPs belonging to SP and the RJD and an expelled the JD(U) member were suspended for the rest of the Budget session for their unruly behaviour on Monday.
They were physically evicted by marshals after they squatted on the floor of the House for a couple of hours refusing to leave the House.
A discussion on the Bill, which the BJP and the Left parties had insisted for giving their support, was possible only after the eviction of the suspended MPs and the walk out by colleagues from their parties.
Keywords: Women's Bill, Rajya Sabha, Hamid Ansari
Comments:
A landmark decision taken by the Rajya Sabha and also a long-awaited one.
I feel this is a retrograde step in Indian democracy as it curtails the rights of men to contest in 181 LS seats, 1,370 assembly seats. Aspiring women can very well contest against men and win. This reservation will not bring any good for the women. Already, they enjoy 33 per cent reservation in local bodies. Neither the women nor the panchayats have witnessed any development. A very painful day, indeed!
It's a victory of democracy!
Let the voice of women be strong in Indian politics and future.
Half of the Indian population can now participate in discussions and decisions in Parliament. So now it's time for new ideas to flow, new methods and logic to work in Indian politics.
Finally the justice has been done.
This is certainly among the most revolutionary, positive changes in Indian social milieu – arguably a paragon for all humanity. It holds a promise to propel India to the position of being the world’s most peaceful, stable and therefore the most prosperous land – in the span of a couple of generations.
One small bill in Rajya Sabha, a giant leap for womankind. Jai Ho.
Great step towards ending gender discimination. How better it would have been, if our society were so great that such steps were not needed.
A landmark achievement.
Unnnecessary...unless it was only for the economically weak...this is just another successful attempt at a votebank. Nothing that I can call really productive has come out of this government. But then again they are better than the rest of the lot who have no idea about what they are doing.
Historic indeed. Hope this is passed in the Lok Sabha without further delays. It would be well worth remembering that this is only the first, albeit important, step in achieving real gender equality in India.
Elders finally empower the women in their House.
It remains to be seen how far the emotional confidence vested in women power translates into action. It seems to me that we are in a hurry.
The country is in a state of coup, by giving reservation in the highest decision-making body. Why should women in rural India walk for a few hours to fetch a pot of water? Why is there illiteracy, domestic violence and unemployment? How is the bill going to address the basic need of women in rural India? This bill is a symbol of inability of central government to bring basic infrastructure to the under-served.
It is still far short of what women should get.It is a good start.Those men around there; win them over!
A momentous decision. We have a lot of women power which can propel the country's growth and also make decision wisely unlike some of the present leaders who do not know what's going on.