The Hindu : National : “Mahatma’s Parliament” passes women’s Bill

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“Mahatma’s Parliament” passes women’s Bill

Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI: A women’s group on Friday “passed the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill” at “Mahatma Gandhi’s Parliament” held at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti here.

The Women’s Reservation Bill, hanging fire since 1996, was “passed unanimously” to provide 33 per cent of seats in the State Assemblies and Parliament, said Veena Nayyar of the Women’s Political Watch.

A voice of all women’s organisations, this group revisited the state of democracy for women and their progress in India through this mock parliament.

“The record is mixed but let no one mistake our approach of non-violence with a spirit of silent satyagraha as either weakness or that the struggle has been given up. Women do not give up easily. There are lakhs more today than there were 10 years ago, aware and committed to claiming what we rightfully think is women’s constitutional entitlement which cannot be denied any longer,” Ms. Nayyar said.

Women from a cross-section of society participated in the “parliament” that also discussed issues of farmers and feminisation of agriculture, a healthcare policy and commitment to reduce maternal mortality rate, an education skills policy and resources to accord the highest priority to education as a change agent and, above all, to close gender gaps — 21.7 per cent at the primary level school enrolment and high dropout among girls.

The participants sought to look for answers to the questions whether India had moved too far from Gandhiji’s philosophy — the very Gandhiji who was recognised as the “conscience of humanity” by the world — and whether the country could aspire to be a ‘power’ when half of its population (women) was sidelined. But their most important question was: “Do we have to enact the conspiracy of consensus again and again on the Women’s Reservation Bill?”

Besides Gandhiji’s favourite bhajans, the event saw women paying homage to the Mahatma by lighting candles, and expressing their resolve: “The light has not gone out of our lives.”

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