WOMEN’S BILL 

‘Reject BJP Proposal, Insist on Vote in Parliament’

WOMEN’S organisations’ – AIDWA, NFIW, GOS, MWF, CWDS, MDS and CSR – expressed their protest and anger at the persistent refusal of the government to put the Women’s Reservation bill to vote in parliament. In a statement issued on July 15, they noted “Shockingly, at the meeting called by the speaker on July 15, it was the representative of the ruling party who made a counter proposal to the bill proposed by his own government.”

They made clear their objection to the proposal on two grounds:

Firstly, since the Lok Sabha has already passed a resolution to freeze the present number of seats and to postpone delimitation till after the next elections, it will mean that women will have to wait for another six years.

Secondly, it is discriminatory since there is an assumption that women are not able to manage seats on their own. Thus instead of redressing the present system of gender injustice and discrimination, the proposal further marginalises women and literally reduces them to “add-ons”.

The statement appealed to political parties to reject this proposal outright and it reiterated the demand for vote on the reservation bill in the forthcoming session of parliament. The women’s organisations appealed to all those political parties who support the present bill, to insist that it be voted on in parliament.