The Hindu : Front Page : BJP for 33% reservation for women in party

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Sunday, Sep 23, 2007
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BJP for 33% reservation for women in party

Neena Vyas

To amend party constitution

BHOPAL: The Bharatiya Janata Party will amend its constitution at its next national council session to give 33 per cent reservation for women on all its committees.

However, for Parliament and Assemblies, it does not favour reservation. It is for a law that will make it mandatory for political parties to give 33 per cent of election ticket to women.

Adopts report

At its meeting here on Saturday, the BJP’s national executive committee unanimously adopted a report presented by the Sushma Swaraj committee, set up by party president Rajnath Singh after the executive committee meeting in June in Delhi.

The proposal of reservation for women in the party set-up was made by Mr. Singh. After the executive committee’s approval, the nod by the national council is seen as a mere formality.

Over a decade ago at a party conclave in Vadodara under L.K. Advani’s presidentship, the BJP had adopted a resolution favouring reservation for women in Parliament and Assemblies.

“False propaganda”

Attacking other political parties, especially the Left, Ms. Swaraj said Saturday’s decision would expose the “false propaganda” that the BJP was anti-woman. She pointed out that the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) did not have a woman till recently.

Ms. Swaraj claimed that the Vajpayee government had more women ministers than any other government. As for the United Progressive Alliance, not even a draft bill on women’s reservation was prepared, she alleged.

Significantly, on the issue of women’s reservation in Parliament and Assemblies, she said: “Parties should give 33 per cent of all ticket to women, as the system of rotation of reserved women’s seats will not work.”

Not waiting: Sushma

Asked whether she could be the BJP’s first woman president or prime ministerial candidate, Ms. Swaraj said she was not waiting. Main intezaar mein nahin hoon, aap intezaar karo [I am not waiting, you can wait for the day], she asserted.

The presidents of the women’s wings at the district, State and national levels would, after the amendment to the party constitution, be ex-officio members of the election committees at those levels, she said.

Ms. Swaraj did not clearly say whether the 33 per cent formula would apply also to the BJP’s highest body, the parliamentary board, and the central election committee.

“Our report was adopted after talks about reservation on all party committees, without specifically mentioning the board or the election committee,” he said.

The suggestion was that those committees would also be covered.

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