Hassan Zainagairee comments on Women Reservation and the flaws thereof.

 India’s political community, as the Indian media wants us to believe, has become “mature” as the ruling Congress-led UPA government and the opposition BJP and the Left parties have begun to look more to ‘issues rather than affinities’. The 108th amendment to constitution of India that seeks 33% reservation for women in Parliament and legislative assemblies have made ‘secular’, ‘progressive’ and ‘Hindutva’ forces together. On the other side of the fence are parties like Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal and Muslim Parliamentarians (unfortunately despite being second largest community, 20%, Muslims in India have failed to emerge as a single unified voice like Dalits and other communities). The bill that was passed with an overwhelming majority in Rajya Sabha on ninth March has deepened the fissures in the India’s socio-political system pitting most under privileged and discriminated sections of society against upper-cast elites.
 The state and corporate controlled media (remember 81% of Indian media is controlled by 8% of Brahmans in India) hailed passing of the bill as a ‘landmark’ legislation, ‘a giant leap’ taken in Indian parliamentary democracy, a ‘historic’ moment. Although battle is far from over, as the bill has to go through the Lok Sabha and half of the state legislative assemblies, Congress leadership is lauded for its decision to ‘stiffen its spine and go for broke despite the risks involved’ and the BJP and the Left too are praised for putting ‘politics of oppositionism aside’.
 Women, as a demographic entity, constitute a force as strong as that of their opposite gender in electoral politics. Being half of the population if motivated by gender majority of MPs would already have got birth in Parliament. That, however, seems a distant probability. Coming out of the theoretical frolic, let us see how things shape up in real concrete. It is `winability' factor that determines the candidature of the candidates in elections and all parties religiously look to it. Save some women who have inbuilt advantage over others owing to cast, faith or socio-economic factors, an overwhelming majority of women suffer a thousand forms of discrimination. They lack basic facilities of life like drinking water, health care and education. Foeticide, infanticide and dowry deaths constantly hog the media. Girls that survive are discriminated and adult women suffer physical abuse and rape. ‘India’, media reports say, ‘has among the highest rates of female anemia and maternal motality in the world’. A couple of weeks before BBC London reported a rare incident: First time a barat was received in a village in Rajasthan after more than 100 years. Such was the “love” and “parental care” of the villagers towards their girls that they won’t allow them to breathe in the world and get wedded. Village’s lone girl was brought up and protected like endangered species by her parents. (Instead of awarding Padam Shri to Muma Kana, the dreaded Ikhwani who stands accused of many murderous charges, the prestigious civil award should have been conferred on the parents).
 Empowerment must be right of all women, not just some women. The question is will reservation add to “class privilegia” in making its clout and position (both political and social) or make the benefits of state reach the doors of the, miserably placed. How can a women of the modest background wallowing in illiteracy, backwardness, discrimination, think of contesting an election. Empowerment of women through reservation will remain in luxury of the affluent class which has education, economic stability and proximity to the corridors of power. Gender inequality, the removal of which is played as the main reason for bringing the 108th amendment, we have to reckon, is attitudinal problem of the society, not of legislators who already constitute what many refer as, ‘enlightened upper crust’. Having legislatures with more women will do little to change the grassroots reality. It will end up in becoming a launching pad for the betis and bahus, sons and son-in-laws, nephews and neice of political families. Gender inequality will remain as it is. The same way as discrimination faced by Dalits and tribals did not end despite having reservations for sixty years. The reservations, as is seen at the ground level, has created what is called a ‘creamy layer’ of the formerly unprivileged and neglected, leaving others of their tribe and community still struggling for bare minimum and still facing injustice and discrimination.
 The amendment envisages a rotational method of reservation that would, make rotating constituencies. It would make two-thirds of Lok Sabha one-term MPs: 33% seats getting reserved in the election, another 33% parliamentary seats (on rotational basis) will get reserved for women in the election that follows. In a way two-thirds of parliament will be hampered from nursing their constituencies. They will have no political incentive to serve their constituencies. Given the prevailing levels of public morality, constitutionally mandated five-year term every MP will use to fill his/her coffers as the quid-pro-quo thread between service and vote gets snapped after the election is over. With no fear to knock at the doors of elector, the elected will be driven only to his fortune making at the expense of the constituency.
 While it may be possible for eminent politicians like Rahul Gandhi, Advani, Bhattacharya etc to get elected from any constituency, for men known only in their constituencies the bill seals their fate as it prevents them from contesting elections. For example, an independent male candidate (or even a party candidate)who has won public faith for his services in the constituency and on that basis has a very good chance of getting re-elected becomes ineligible to contest from the constituency as it stands reserved for women.
 If women empowerment is sought through reserving seats in Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies why it does not extend to Rajya Sabha and legislative councils? How can you account for this discrepancy.
 Then there is right to equality that stands infringed. Why a person should be forced to elect a women as his or her representative. This amounts to promoting ultra feminism in name of women empowerment. As politics has become fiefdom of many political families, the Bill will consolidate those families, besides it gives them an aura of legitimacy. Squeezing option for representation you are pushing reluctant electorate on path of abstention from elections. On one hand, you  empower already empowered women (and they are a privileged political class), on the other hand you disempowering the male community. Elite affluent class win both heads and tails through winability factor. The backward and unprivileged class are suffers on both sides. Their females can’t compete elite females and their males are barred from contesting.
 To come to power able women do not need reservations. Their success stories are due to their strong commitment and ability to face the challenge, not because of their dependence on reservations. Thirty three percent reservation means raising a breed of more upper-caste women members in legislatures at the expense of backward communities (Muslims), Dalits and tribals. It is a backdoor entry on part of affluent upper class into parliament to grab power. With unprivileged section of the society having begun to exert their say and determined to get what is their due, the privileged class (which is in minority) is doing its utmost not to let power slid off its hands. The 108th amendment reveals that malicious intent. The reservation is not going to transform the society. It is not going to remove the gender animus which is entrenched deep at social level in rural areas.
 Tail Piece: - When RJD and SP opposed the Bill, they were maligned and severely criticized. It was argued that if they have the interests of the OBCs and Muslims in minds and are sincere, what then prevents them from selecting and fielding candidates from these sections in the elections. Good. But the same argument can be recoiled upon Congress, BJP and the Left, the ardent supporter of the bill. No one in the last six decades has prevented them from filling the list having thirty three percent or fifty percent or more women in elections. Let these parties give as much representation as they want. But why, make it a legal compulsion. Then why not make the reservation for OBCs and Muslims on the same lines. The bill aims to create impediments for the weaker section and thus deny it excess to centers of power and privilege. There is a typical Brehmanical mentality reflected in the Bill. A more “revered” head status for elites. Soulless “sole” for others.

(The author can be reached at zainagiree@yahoo.co.in)

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