Cutting across party lines, Rajya Sabha members on Friday demanded passage of the bill to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies. They also called for a change in mindset to prevent crimes against women as laws alone will not ensure their security.
Raising these points during a short discussion on the occasion of International Women’s Day after Chairman Hamid Ansari dispensed with the Question Hour to celebrate the day, members asked the Government to ensure the Women’s Reservation Bill is passed in lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha had passed it in 2010.
Rajni Patil (Congress) recalled 33 per cent reservation that the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi gave to women in panchayats and local bodies and said, “If we want to celebrate women’s day, the Women’s Reservation Bill should be passed by Parliament.”
She was backed by her party colleague Ambika Soni, Najma Heptulla and Maya Singh(BJP) and D Raja(CPI). Brajesh Pathak (BSP) said participation of women from Dalit and backward classes, economically weaker sections and minorities should be ensured while passing the bill.
Jaya Bachchan (SP) said there can be no celebration unless the mindset is changed and cited growing incidents of rape, molestation, domestic violence and public thrashing of women by protectors of law. Echoing similar sentiments, Gundu Sudha Rani (TDP) said there was 70 per cent increase in all crimes against women in the last decade.
Derek O’Brien (TMC) said lady bosses in political parties are better than men and cited examples of AIADMK, BSP and Congress besides his own party headed by Mamata Banerjee, J Jayalalithaa, Mayawati and Sonia Gandhi respectively.
Prem Chand Gupta (RJD) said every political party demands reservation to women but none has ever given 30 or 35 per cent tickets to women. Prasanta Chatterjee (CPI-M), Kumar Deepak Das (AGP), Sashi Bhusan Behra (BJD), Bharatkumar Raut (SS), Balwinder Singh Bhunder (SAD), GN Ratanpuri (J&K NC) and Sanjiv Kumar (JMM) also spoke.
Earlier, the Chairman said though women have made remarkable progress in economic, political and social spheres, gender equality remains a distant dream and voiced concern over female foeticide, honour killings and growing violence against women.