World | India
Q&A: Women's quota bill in India
- Gulf News Report
- Published: 17:51 March 10, 2010
- 1996: The Deve Gowda government introduces the women’s reservation Bill as the 81st Constitutional Amendment Bill.
- 1998: The Bill is re-introduced in the 12th Lok Sabha as the 84th Constitutional Amendment Bill by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- 1999: The NDA government re-introduces the Bill in the 13th Lok Sabha.
- 2002: The Bill is introduced in parliament but fails to sail through.
- 2003: Bill introduced twice in parliament.
- 2004: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government includes the Bill in its Common Minimum Programme.
- 2008: The government tables the Bill in the Rajya Sabha so that the legislation does not lapse.
- 2010: The Cabinet clears the Bill for the Rajya Sabha’s consideration
India’s ruling Congress party met on Wednesday to find the way forward in a tense standoff involving some of its allies over the Women’s Bill. The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha (upper house) on Tuesday, but still needs the approval of the Lok Sabha (lower house). But what exactly will the Bill do and what’s the controversy about? Find out the answers below:
What’s the Women’s Bill all about?
The Bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies (including Delhi) for women. Seats will be reserved on rotation and will cease 15 years after the commencement of the Act. There are 59 women lawmakers in the lower house of parliament at present, out of a maximum of 545.
How will the Bill’s provisions be implemented?
Since a third of the seats will be reserved during each parliamentary election, every seat in the Lok Saha and every seat in each of the state Assemblies will have one reserved term and two free terms in the course of three elections. In a 15-year time limit, this will translate as each seat getting reserved for women just once — provided that governments fully complete their 5-year terms and elections are held once every five years. If there are six instead of three elections in this period, each seat will get reserved twice. After 15 years, each seat will have been reserved at least once, the idea being that women representatives should have reach and spread across the country.
How does the Bill become a law?
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. It now needs to be passed in Lok Sabha. Once it is passed by both Houses of parliament, it must be adopted by at least half of the 28 state legislative assemblies. Since the Congress and its allies are in power in 11 states, the BJP and its allies rule nine states and the Left Front has governments in two states, getting the Bill adopted by at least 14 states would not be a problem.
Once this formality is gone through, the Bill would be sent to the president for her assent. Once the president signs the Bill and it is notified, the Bill becomes Law. Starting 2014 general elections, Lok Sabha which at present has just 58 elected women lawmakers will have at least 181 women lawmakers, while Rajya Sabha which at present has just 19 elected members would have to make room to accommodate a minimum of 77 women lawmakers.
So what happens to lawmakers who always contest from specific constituencies?
Once the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament, members of Parliament (MPs) will no longer be able to claim attachment to one single constituency. Rahul Gandhi, for instance, will no longer be the MP from Amethi at least once in three general elections, he will have to yield the seat to a woman MP. Sonia Gandhi will face a different kind of dilemma. She would be able to retain Rae Bareli for more than two consecutive terms, only if she agrees to contest under the quota.
Why does India need to reserve election seats for women?
There are 59 women lawmakers in the lower house of parliament at present, out of a maximum of 545. Championed both by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, the bill aims to help empower women politically and thereby economically in a country where they lag far behind on key social and health indicators. Millions of poor women face steep odds, with shorter schooling, worse nutrition and a literacy rate more than 20 percentage points lower than men.
Why are some political parties opposing the Bill?
A row over the bill has been brewing for years, having first been introduced as far back as 1996. Though it enjoys widespread support, some regional parties oppose the bill arguing it would move at the expense of Muslims and other minorities. The Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), whose vote bank is mostly made up of such minorities, have vowed to fight the bill “tooth and nail” once it is introduced in the lower house of parliament.
How will the ruling Congress coalition be impacted by the Bill?
Though it still has a majority in parliament, Congress could lose a chunk of political capital it needs to push through key economic legislation and deal with a slew of setbacks since winning a second term last year. The Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have withdrawn their outside support to Manmohan Singh's coalition, costing the government 26 seats in the lower house. The Trinamool Congress party, a key coalition partner whose leader is the railways minister, boycotted Tuesday’s vote, saying Congress had not properly consulted its ally on strategy. Trinamool has threatened to do the same in the lower house, which could pile on trouble for Congress already bracing for more protests against the bill in the second round of voting.
Meanwhile, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, trying to make a comeback after a heavy election defeat, has played up what it says was Congress' poor handling of rowdy protests in parliament that saw seven lawmakers suspended. The party supported the bill. Congress is under fire over food inflation, a proposed hike in fuel prices, and the creation of a separate state in southern India that continues to set off violent clashes and suicides. With two allies gone and a third dissenting, Congress might find itself having to pander to coalition allies, or reach out to unreliable third parties.
An unwieldy alliance or a protracted fallout from the bill may also further delay debate on bills such as on land acquisition and entry of private players into the pension sector. Though highly unlikely, some commentators even go as far as to say the government could face hurdles pushing through the 2010-2011 budget, which was announced in February. But the government being voted out of power is highly unlikely.
Timeline of the Woman’s Bill in Parliament:
--with inputs from Reuters
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