Women MPs in Lok Sabha seek reservation, education

Across party lines, women MPs in the Lok Sabha got a chance to speak in the House on the occasion on International Women’s Day.

While Congress President Sonia Gandhi and CPI(M)’s Srimathi Teacher wanted the government to give women their due by ensuring the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill, BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi invoked Vice-President Hamid Ansari who had sought the inclusion of more women MPs in crucial Parliamentary panels, such as the one’s on Finance, Railways, Estimates and so forth.

Sonia Gandhi said ‘maximum governance’ was not just about growth, but also about strengthening the social fabric by removing discriminatory traditions such as sex selection, depriving women of property rights and about giving them more voice.

“The Indian Parliament has only 12 per cent women representatives, way behind even Afghanistan, which has 28 per cent women in spite of pressure from the Taliban,” said Teacher, who wanted the Bill to be put to vote to find out who its opponents were.

Shatabdi Roy (Trinamool Congress) said education was key to ensuring that women earn as much as men and get their status in the society. “We don’t want a separate seat in the bus, we want to drive that bus,” she said.

Pratushya Singh (Biju Janata Dal) highlighted the plight of women and girls being trafficked as brides within India, while Bhavna Gawali (Shiv Sena) referred to the refusal of temple authorities at Shani temple in Maharashtra from allowing women into the sanctum sanctorum.

Ranjit Ranjan (Congress), and K Geetha (YSRC), however, said quota was not the solution but part of a larger effort to empower women.