Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Elusive consensus

It is an irony that despite all the parties agreeing "in principle" to reserve one-third seats for women in the State legislatures and Parliament, there is no consensus on the Women's Reservation Bill. In the name of evolving a consensus, women are being taken for a ride with successive governments delaying reservation unnecessarily. It is better to introduce the original Bill and propose modifications in the House.

S. Chandrasekhara Rao,
Narsipatnam, A.P.

* * *

The Government is making it appear that it introduces Bills and takes decisions only on reaching a consensus with all the parties. Was there a consensus on the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel? Was a consensus reached before allowing FDI in the crucial sectors of the economy? Why the insistence on consensus only on the Women's Bill?

The UPA Government's stance is similar to the dubiousness of the NDA Government, which enacted POTA by convening a joint session of Parliament but pleaded helplessness on the Women's Bill, citing a lack of consensus. What the parties lack is not consensus, but conviction.

P. Venkatesh,
Salem, T.N.

* * *

The RJD's demand for a quota within quota seems to be an excuse for evading a consensus, while the real issue is the inadmissibility of reservation of women for fear of loss of the traditional hold of a selected few over a good number of constituencies. The proposal to increase the number of seats in Parliament and State legislatures will lead to a mockery of the entire concept. All the episodes in the continuing mega serial called the Women's Bill point to the indecisiveness and lack of will among the major national parties, who now appear to be overridden by regional parties.

C.P. Velayudhan Nair,
Kochi, Kerala

* * *

The hypocrisy of the parties has once again been exposed. The search for a consensus is only a ploy to derail the prospects of the Bill being tabled. Looks like the male-dominated political leadership of the country is apprehending a threat to its career prospects.

Raja Ram Santosh,
New Delhi

* * *

It is clear that gentlemen politicians are playing ducks and drakes with the Bill for obvious reasons. They do not want to share power with women. They have never been serious about bringing in the Bill with a clear one-third reservation. All national and regional parties should, voluntarily or under Election Commission compulsion, give women the ticket for one-third of the seats. This seems a way out of the long-drawn, vexed issue.

K. Venkataraman,
Mumbai

* * *

It is time our leaders stopped wasting their time on the Bill. Is there any country where seats in Parliament are reserved for women? Women should be given education and equality. Everything else will follow.

K. Anoop Raj,
Chennai

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