Reservation for women is not a bounty but only an honest recognition of their contribution to social development.every political party for the last many years has been assuring its support to the bill which disarms women activists. according to an Internation Labour Organisation, while women represent 50 percent of the world adult population and the third of the officiallabour force they perform nearly two-third of all working hours, receive a tenth of world income and own less than one percent of world property.


Women's reservation Bill: The Women's reservation Bill (WRB) providing 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha. the bill is now firmly on the nation political agenda and political parties know that sooner or later, something will have to be done. Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Shivaji Patil believes that representaion of one constituency by two MPS can not be a source of conflict.Patil has ignited the latest disputation on the WRB by insisting that the present bill can only be passed in the monsoon session if double member constituencies are introduced in one-third of all parliamentary seats.it is difficult for the existing bill to be passed since the majority of male MPs believe that introducing 33% reservation will, along with reservation for Tribes and Scheduled Castes make 50% of seats unavailable to them. Women activists are terrified at Patil's suggestion. according to Ranjana Kumari, coordinator the WRB is presently the property of the house and it is against parliamentary propriety for MPs to be expressing an opinion outside the house. If a new process is started at this stage it will mean that the WRB gets delayed by yet another six years.

Election Commission: The Election Commission had also put up a proposal making it forced for political parties to nominate 33% women candidates with a state as a unit for the Lok Sabha and the district as the unit for the state assemblies. The Election Commission suggestion has the advantage that it does not bear the 'quota' tag. The Shiv Sena is opposed to the Election Commission's suggestions and Mulayam Singh Yadav is not willing to grant more than 20% seats for women. he has argued time and again that reservation will only favour elite, English-speaking women and will not empower backward or low-caste women, especially since the majority are present in Parliament by virtue of family connections forged either by marriage or by birth.

The Indian politicians is to be realised that they can no longer ignore the justified demands of reservation for the women in Parliament and State Legislature. The struggle for the women's empowerment goes on, one must. however, not forget that though number and percentages are important. it is ultimately numbers coupled with the correct world-view that can go a long way to strengthen the movement for women's liberation. the 33% reservation for the women will remain a 'Forlorn Hope' because the Parliament dominated by such MPs and lack of 'will' of determination with ruling party and no support from the other parties.

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