Women Reservation (The Assam Tribune; Letters to the Editor) 19th September 2005

We always talk about women liberation & empowerment of women. But in this male dominated society of ours total liberation of women is a far cry.

The Women Reservation Bill, for instance, is ample example. the Bill which seeks 33% reservation for women in Parliament & State assemblies has not been passed till date. This issue has always been the topic of heated arguments in the sessions of Parliament. This Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in the year 1996; a decade is almost over & no steps have bben taken so far to pass the Bill. Though the political parties insist that they are very much concerned about the empowerment ofIndian women, in reality the feeling of gender bias always exists in their mind.

Women have excelled in various fields and have probed that they are no less than their male counterparts.Then why this discrimination regarding reservation of seats?

Once the Bill is passed, 1/3rd of total seats available in the parliament would be reserved for women in national, state and local governments. But many political parties have been opposing the Bill.

We are living in a democratic country which believes in gender equality. But the delay in passing the women reservation Bill reveals that in relaity, the male dominated society of ours still tends to supress the women folk.