‘Reservations’ has become a controversial word in the past few years in India. It doesn’t just concern the haves and the have-nots; it has much to do with power and politics. To put a complex phenomenon in simple words, reservations is not just allotment of seats to some people and blocking others from accessing them. There is a cycle that includes minorities, national integrity, vote banks and the development policy of the country.
This issue has been hotly debated on the national level and a crushing opposition has risen against it. Political parties have risen in protest of the bill on the grounds that it is ‘un democratic’ and it promotes ‘gender bias in favor of women’. There is also a sudden concern about voters being forced to elect ‘undeserving candidates’. These arguments may sound valid to some, but on a closer look, things aren’t so simple. Despite claims of ‘equal rights and opportunities’, the ratio of women parliamentarians to their male counterparts has been pitiably low. When half of the country’s population is comprised of women, reservation of 33% of parliamentary seats for them hardly seems like ‘gender bias in favor of women’.
Agreed, mere representation in the Parliament is not ‘The Solution’, but it is a good starting point for many reasons. To begin with, a minimum level of representation, even if tokenistic, at least puts across a message that half of India’s population does have a voice on the political stage, and has its representatives in the Parliament. As far as the question of ‘undeserving candidates’ is concerned, there are ways to counter such problems. There is always a possibility of ‘undeserving people’ enjoying power, and it is not restricted to the case of women alone. It is the responsibility of the legislators to ensure that no undeserving persons gain access to positions of power- be it men or women.
As Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia has recently informed the media, Rajasthan has successfully implemented such measures within the state and its administrative structure today has a strong representation of women. Reservations and special benefits for the girl child and for women in education and employment sectors, has yielded fruit in the past. So why not go a step further and include them in the legislative processes of the country? The proposed ‘quota within quota’ is an excellent means to ensure a more equitable representation. If women from minority communities get opportunities to access lawmaking, it would definitely be a laudable achievement for India.
Women’s reservation is needed today for many reasons. Its not because women are inferior than men in terms of education, skill or intellect. It’s just that they have not had sufficient opportunities to display and utilize these talents. Indian women do not need reservations to reach the parliament because they would otherwise be inept to do so, but because they have not had the means and resources to reach those heights. Its high time the law making body recognized these facts. It is my strong conviction that women do not seek the sympathy or the crutches of gender politics. What they seek is the recognition of their potential and a chance to use it to empower themselves. Those seats in the parliament are deserved equally by men and women, it is just the difference of who actually gets the chance to access them and prove their worth.
