Representatives of various women’s organisations staged a rally in front of the State Assembly here on Monday demanding passage of 33 per cent Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament and State Assembly.
The women activists led by the Institute for Social Development (ISD) in collaboration with the Women Power Connect (WPC) New Delhi came in a procession from the Exhibition Ground to the Master Canteen Square shouting slogans for immediate passage of the Bill. later, they submitted a memorandum in this regard to Governor SC Jamir.
They said that despite making up 48 per cent of India’s population and 47.5 per cent of the registered voting population, women accounted for only 11 per cent of lok Sabha seats and 10.7 per cent of Rajya Sabha seats in 2011. In 2009, women made up only 9.9 per cent of Cabinet Ministers and 11.1 per cent of Ministers of State which is very low compared to male representatives.
The activists said the Bill is the cornerstone of women’s equal citizenship and its legislation would bring long-awaited justice to women’s rights across the country.
“The resistance to women’s entry into the highest decision-making bodies from the conservative and patriarchal forces in the society is still widely prevalent in different forms,” said ISD director Subhashree Das, adding, “This is why misleading arguments are being posed to divert attention from the real motive of stalling passage of the Bill in the lok Sabha.”