The condition of women will not improve just by giving reservation, people will have to change their thinking also.

The inauguration of the first session of the new building of the Indian Parliament was historic, memorable and unforgettable in many ways. On the auspicious day of Tuesday, many new chapters and indelible articles were created, in which a rare picture of cordial relationship between the government and the opposition emerged, while a new history of the rise of women power was created in the form of ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act 2023’. It was good to hear and see that all the leaders rose above the party lines and remembered all the great leaders like Baba Saheb Amdekar, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Babu Rajendra Prasad, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who contributed in building a new and strong India.

Every political party has been making tall claims and promises about women upliftment, upliftment and balanced women representation in legislative institutions, but when the time comes, there have been many ifs and buts and omissions in giving women their rights. A total of 82 women MPs were elected in the last Lok Sabha elections. In a country where half the population is women, it is not only surprising but ironic that only 15 percent women reach the Lok Sabha. The surprising thing is that the number of women MPs who won in the elections held before 2019 has been less than 82. The condition of the Legislative Assemblies is more or less the same as that of the Lok Sabha. In such a situation, BJP and Modi government have shown courage and taken a commendable initiative by introducing the Women’s Reservation Bill, which will strengthen democracy. This will increase the participation of women in governance and the cases of atrocities against them will also reduce. The question is not only about MPs and MLAs, efforts should be made to increase the participation of women in ministerial posts also.

There have been many debates and controversies regarding women’s reservation. Many efforts were made in the Parliament. The first bill related to this was introduced in 1996. Women’s Reservation Bill was brought several times during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee but numbers could not be gathered for it and the dream remained unfulfilled. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is commendable for the initiative he has taken to ensure women’s rights, harness their power and do many such great works. Even if the bill is passed, women will have to wait longer to avail its benefits. That is, it is likely to take three to four more years for the reservation bill, first introduced in 1996, to be implemented in practical form. But, a question naturally arises here that why was there a need to bring the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament? Can political parties not give adequate tickets to women in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections without reservation? The crux of the issue is that political parties, be it BJP or Congress or any other party, should start giving tickets to more number of women candidates in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the coming elections only, for this they will not need any law. Needed Political parties should give their full rights to the ‘half of the population’, so that the fabric of social harmony can become stronger.

The era of women has been changing. Sometimes they have got opportunities to grow with full speed in the open directions of development and sometimes their every step has been stopped by the snakes of doubt. Sometimes they have got full social respect and sometimes they have stood on the margins of society and suffered the compulsion of being women. Sometimes they remain at the center of the family and run the entire family and sometimes they become inactive due to being neglected and harassed in their own family. There was no sign of ending discrimination against women on political platforms. The Women’s Reservation Bill is a meaningful effort to bring consistency in these discrepancies, now women will have to move towards a definite goal. Political power is becoming a medium through which power is concentrated in the hands of men and dominance over women is maintained. There has also been a prejudice that if politics is handed over to women, then the power of men will be overturned. Till now, most of the women who have been reaching Parliament come from the elite class, but with the implementation of women’s reservation, now the oppressed women will come forward in large numbers.

Reservation is not the only solution to provide proper and respectable place to women. In neighboring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, seats for women have been reserved in legislative bodies for years, but there is no need to tell about their condition there. In our country itself, up to 50 percent women reservation is implemented in Panchayati Raj institutions in many states. But chief-husband and councilor-husband are also the reality of our society. Therefore, the challenge is before the political parties to try to create women leadership at the grassroots level. The Nari Shakti Vandan Bill has given an opportunity to all political parties to adopt a sensitive stance towards the political aspirations of women. No matter who takes political advantage of this law, the reaction seen among the backward classes will bring about major changes in the electoral politics of the country in the coming days. But at present, in this golden period of independence, women should be welcomed and made participants in the building of a new India, a strong India, by welcoming the huge window of possibilities that the House has opened for Indian women. There is a big fear that even after the implementation of this bill, the doors of Parliament and Assemblies will definitely open for women, due to reservation, mothers, daughters and daughters-in-law will come to the Houses by contesting elections, but all their work and political maneuvers will be done by men only. Therefore, men will rule. We are seeing this happening in Panchayat elections. Without removing this big discrepancy and irony, the real goal of women’s reservation will not be achieved.

Women have proved themselves time and again. Yet in the patriarchal mindset it was believed that women neither have that much intelligence, nor that much experience, nor have nature made them capable of facing the difficulties associated with political work. There is a saying that a woman is not born, she is made and many fanatics consider woman to be man’s farm. Due to lack of protection from law and politics, women have been losing the battle at the last end of the struggle. That’s why today’s woman wants the entire page, not the margins. Full pages, as many men have. In ancient times, Indian women were given special respect. Countless Indian women like Sita, Sati-Savitri etc. have proved their special place. Apart from this, even during the British rule, women like Rani Laxmibai, Chand Bibi etc., who rose above all their traditions etc., left their indelible mark on the pages of history. Modern woman is so capable that she can change the picture of Indian politics as well as the destiny, she has amazing ability to rule. She can bring prosperity to the people with her political innings. They can give new life to democratic values ​​and norms. Can lead India on the path of development. Still, the issues of reservation related to women have been continuously made complex, now despite these complexities, the Modi government has become ready to give women their due political rights, then it is the government’s responsibility to make this law and implement it in praising women power. No, political parties also have a big responsibility to succeed in this test and remove the obstacles created over the decades, only then the political life of women will also become nectar in the Amrit Kaal, only through this the Women’s Reservation Bill will get real and meaningful meaning.

-Lalit Garg

(The author is a senior journalist and columnist)