BRS leader K Kavitha wrote letter to 47 political parties urging them to set aside political differences and pass the Women’s Reservation Bill in the upcoming special sessions of Parliament which would start on September 18. However, instead of appreciating her gesture or showing concerns for the valid issue or lack of women’s representation in legislature, Telangana BJP President Kishan Reddy responded with retort and whataboutery.
Kavitha addressed her letter to 47 party presidents including the chiefs of BJP and Congress, J P Nadda and Mallikarjun Kharge respectively, urging them to unite and pass the long-awaited Women’s Reservation Bill which has been in limbo for far too long. She called upon them to set aside political differences and prioritise the passage of the Bill. “It is my sincere hope that all political parties will rise above partisan interests and unite in support of the Women’s Reservation Bill, which has languished in legislative limbo for far too long,” she urged the leaders. Kavitha said that women’s legislative representation, in state assemblies and Parliament, remain “woefully inadequate”. “This glaring disparity hampers our nation’s progress and undermines the principles of democracy upon which our great country is built. The representation of women in legislative discourse is of utmost importance for several reasons…,” she said in the letter, PTI reported.
Time Line of Women’s Reservation Bill And BJP and Congress’s Stand On It
The Women’s Reservation Bill ensuring 33% of the Parliament seats be filled by women has a long history of struggle in India. It was first introduced in Lok Sabha in 1996 by the Deve Gowda government but could not be passed. Subsequently, different versions of the Bill were introduced in 1998, 1999 and 2008 but they all lapsed due to the dissolution of the governments. Between 1998 to 2003 the NDA government did not take up the issue seriously and failed to pass the bill despite support from Congress and the Left parties. In 2004, the UPA’s Common Minimum Program promised to take the lead in providing 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State legislatures. In 2008, the Bill was tabled in the Parliament as Women’s Reservation Bill [The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill], 2008 and in 2010 it was passed in Rajya Sabha under the UPA2 regime. But it was not taken up by the Lok Sabha.
The BJP in its 2014 manifesto promised to pass the Bill but have failed to keep the promise.
Between 2014 to the present day, the opposition parties, particularly Indian National Congress, have repeatedly urged the government to pass the Bill. In 2016, then Congress President Sonia Gandhi spoke in the Lok Sabha on special intervention for Women’s Day about the Bill and urged the government to prioritize it. In September 2017 Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter urging him to pass the Bill and assuring him Congress party’s support. In July 2018, Rahul Gandhi wrote a similar letter assuring Congress’s support for Women’s Reservation Bill. In March 2019, speaking at an event in Chennai Rahul Gandhi promised to pass the Bill if voted to power and also provide 33% reservations in government job. He made similar promise to the audience while speaking at another event in November 2021.
On the other hand, BJP’s stand on Women’s Reservation Bill is evasive and duplicitous. Despite having a clear majority in Lok Sabha the Modi government failed to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill. BJP-RSS is seemingly a patriarchal and paternalistic party which gives priority to the masculine hegemonic ideas of authority, power, dominance, violence and fear. They view women as home makers and care givers. Women’s increased political participation does not seem to be a priority for them. Perhaps that explains why, instead of appreciating the gesture made by BRS Leader K Kavitha, and acknowledging the concerns she raised, BJP Telengana leader responded with a cheap political retort and ‘whatbaoutery’. He said that Kavita should rather practice what she preaches and give adequate representation to women in tickets distribution for the coming Assembly elections in Telangana.
It appears most political parties would keep taking pot-shots at each other the Bill would remain in limbo.
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