Baby delivered through Caesarian

After a disappointed Women’s Day, the passage of Women’s reservation through its first phase was a welcome gesture. What should have been a proud day for Indian women and men became instead a day of shame for the government and also for the country. High drama surrounded the passage of the historic Women's Reservation Bill with the process beginning with unprecedented unruly scenes in the Rajya Sabha and culminating with the suspension and forcible eviction of the disruptive members. The proceedings of the Parliament seemed that the bill would once again go on the back burner. The disruptions of proceedings on Monday over the issue of women’s reservation are an indictment. What happened today was yet the continuation and also a mockery of the constitution by just a handful of members. Well better late than never, the UPA dared to pass the motion which it could have tried doing yesterday.

A lot of consultations and convincing sessions took place in the last 24 hours. The bill was labeled to be Sonia Gandhi's prestige. The political will and commitment of UPA infact of Congress was put through a litmus test. For Congress it would have been fatal if it would have hesitated. But the series of events exposed the if not half-hearted commitment to the cause of women's empowerment of the Congress and few legislators. This case is a classic example of how regional parties try to overpower the ruling national parties with selfish motives in the federal system.

As Brinda Karat said in Rajya Sabha today the passage of bill is a victory of all the women organisations who have struggled for 14 years to get the bill passed. Now a baby has been delivered and it is our duty to nurture it and monitor it so that it does not get exploited in the hands of male chauvinists. And what i mean by nurturing and monitoring is by telling that there should be committee or a body appointed to check on the process.

But it should be understood that the Bill has gone through the first phase only. The bill has yet to be passed in Lok Sabha. Now it would be a real challenge for the Congress to fight the Yadav trio and get the bill passed and prove their commitment towards the Indian women. Well whatever happens it is definitely giving the women a new career option- politics, which has been ruled by roosters.