The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Quota for women

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 08, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Quota for women

President Pratibha Patil, in her address to both houses of Parliament, has promised the enactment of the Women’s Reservation Bill providing one-third reservation to women in Parliament and the State legislatures. If the bill is indeed passed, it would be an attempt by those belonging to the forward castes to gain backdoor entry into the state machinery and fortify their existing hegemony, which has been threatened by the emerging assertive politics of the backward sections. If this is not the case, policymakers will have to prove otherwise by earmarking a proportionate share in the reservation on the basis of the SC, the ST and the OBC population.

T.J. Burny Peter,

Kochi

* * *

JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav has a strong case when he seeks sub-quotas for women belonging to Dalit, tribal and backward communities. In the Indian context, if gender is made the sole criterion for reservation it will lead to a serious imbalance in the representation of women. Women from privileged backgrounds will emerge as leaders. And given their economic condition and social status, women from the deprived backgrounds would prefer to be represented by their menfolk.

G. David Milton,

Maruthancode

* * *

With three powerful women — President Pratibha Patil, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar — at the helm, the time cannot be more conducive to passing the Women’s Reservation Bill.

P.K. Varadarajan,

Chennai

* * *

With women as the President, the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Home Minister of naxalite-infested Andhra Pradesh, and occupying a number of posts, the introduction and passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill should have been a cakewalk. But what is at stake is male dominance. It is fervently hoped that reservation for women will become a reality soon.

G.M. Rama Rao,

Visakhapatnam

* * *

It is surprising that even as we have the first woman Speaker from an array of women leaders both at the Centre and in the States, some continue to harp on reservation for women. One fails to understand how many more successful women leaders people want before they stop advocating reservation. Once the Women’s Reservation Bill is introduced, it will be made to degenerate, in no time, into a partition on caste basis for men to get seats on a de facto basis while women remain in the background. This will not be the case if women become leaders in their own right.

G.R. Jagannadh,

Washington

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

News Update

Stories in this Section

Cause for concern

Beleaguered Brown

Obama’s world & Pakistan’s war on terror

Vaccination option for cervical cancer

“I don’t know how we’ve stayed alive”

Why television is so bad for children’s health

Universal acceptance is an elusive aim