RESERVATIONS

Parties should Introduce it First in Organization and Candidatures

Reservation for O.B.C's & Minorities should come before Women across the Board

Shahabuddin's Statement on Reservation for Women in Legislature

The ill-conceived Constitution (Amendment) Bill to provide for Reservation to Women in Legislatures has run into foreseeable difficulties. Simmering which were audible to many of us from the day of its introduction have now exploded like a volcano.

Apart from the desirability or otherwise of having reservation for religious and caste groups in the Legislatures, one wonders how and why the political parties which have never given more than a token place in their organisational structures or in their list of candidates for elections to women, have suddenly become strong advocates for reservation for them in the Legislatures? The number of women activists in the political field is so limited that the political parties have to harness the female relatives of their living or dead leaders.

Where have they suddenly discovered such a large reservoir of political talent to field against reserved seats? If the political parties are sincere about reservation and involvement of women in politics, charity should begin at home, and they should amend their own constitutions to reserve for women one third of the membership of all party committees at all levels and one third of the tickets for any election.

Indeed, they should go farther and jointly urge amendment to the electoral law relating to recognition of parties to provide that only such parties whose constitution includes such a provision for reservation for women shall be recognised as national or State parties.

As for the religious minorities, even the recognised parties are reluctant to give their tickets to minority candidates because they are conscious of their ability to deliver their votes to them in general constituencies the Muslim community is very particularly apprehensive of further erosion in representation in the Legislatures because any additional reservation reduces the free area, the number of possible constituencies and thus the probability of one of their members being elected against the general seats. Also because of their educational, economic and social backwardness, the number or Muslim women candidates against reserved seats will be comparatively very low, unless there is a Muslim quota.

Social and political justice, therefore, demand that the Constitution should first be amended to provide reservation in Legislatures for Hindu OBCs and Religious Minorities and then reservation within each reserved quota for women, which should begin at 15% to be increased by 5% every 5 years till it reaches the desired target. In the meantime, all parties should amend their Constitution to provide reservation for women in their party structure and in their list of candidates for elections.

Shubha Singh on Politics of the Women's Quota

Being a woman candidate is neither a major disqualification nor a great asset for the candidate. Women contest on the same grounds as men in elections, dependent on the appeal of their political party and their own personal standing to won elections. Then why reserve seats for them, making special concessions when the real need is simply that political parties nominate more women Candidates.

It cannot be denied that the abysmally now representation of women in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies has to be corrected. Political parties responded to the growing demand for greater representation for women by agreeing to increase nominations for them before the general elections. But this promise was swiftly forgotten, and to placate women the parties included reservations for women in their manifesto and latter in the Common Minimum Programme.

Women's organisations were initially not in favour of reservations, but after the panchayat elections were conducted with reservations for women and backward castes and the failure of political leaders to fulfil their assurances, the demand has caught fire.

A backward caste dominated constituency would still retain a backward caste MP, whether male of female, so the demand for OBC reservations is not really valid and is being propagated to stall the bill. The number of OBC Ps in Parliament has gone up dramatically because of political compulsions. This is not likely to change, nor the number of MPs from the minorities. Hyderabad city would continue to elect a Muslim MP whether it is reserved or not.

However, women who do not enter the Lok Sabha through this concession may just find that their counsels within the party do not carry the same weight as they would like. That they are not taken as seriously as their male counterparts for after all, they would be the "quota women", which could begin a sort of ghessoistion of women in Parliament.

Women would end up contesting against themselves, even those who have made a name for themselves as MPs would to move to reserved constituencies. Their ability to be effective would be limited. Mere numbers do not manipulate the levers of power, control and policy making would just pass on to a small coterie. Women in European parliaments have experienced this.

The Panchayat experience would in time throw up women leaders ready to contest for higher elected office-women with administrative experience at the grass roots.

In the recent British elections, for the first time the House of Commons has 120 women MPs out of a total of 659. Most of them are long-term members of the Labour party and have worked as elected members of local governments

The Labour party in order to expand its base, made a conscious effort to select more women candidates. There is no reason why this experience cannot be replicated in India, but it will require political will.

The Bill was stalled during the Winter session by a lack of quorum in the Lok Sabha as MPs wilfully stayed away from the House. The Parliamentary Standing Committee has a string of dissenting notes and the Budget Session ended with Sharad Yadav opposing the Bill in its present form. The demand for minority reservation which has been belatedly tagged on to OBC

reservations, will be opposed by the BJP, which may mean the end of the Bill.

On the other hand, since women are not getting their right for greater representation through legitimate means, a large section is now convinced that it can be obtained through reservations.                                                                   

(Source: The Pioneer. 28 Mav. 1997)