Women's Bill: Less equality more politics

After 14 years and numerous proceedings of Parliament, the Women’s Reservation Bill cleared its first hurdle – when the Rajya Sabha passed it. But only after a lot of drama which even saw Chairman of the House and Vice President of the country being attacked by the leaders.

The government missed its date with the Bill on International Women’s Day, thanks to 'kill bill' Yadav troika – Lalu, Mulayam and Sharad Yadav. Sloganeering, ripped off mics, and torn papers were all that was left on Day 1 of the presentation of the Bill. And the Chairman of the House also had to go through humiliation; it had turned into a 'Hall Of Shame'. A jittery government too decided not to aggravate the tension and put the Bill on hold.

This led to some angry voices from the Opposition as well as allies who slammed the government for not doing its homework. So, a determined UPA government was back with the agenda in the Upper House the next day. It even ignored a threat to its stability. And it worked this time, though everyone was not happy. While UPA allies like Mamata Banerjee sulked over not been taken into confidence, Lalu and Mulayam confirmed they will formally write to President to withdraw support from the government.

But, is this Bill really going to help? Call me pessimist, but I believe reservation of all sorts is dangerous. I believe in achieving everything through hard work. If the government - or whoever - is promoting reservation, it is killing hard work, merit, and thereby excellence. Forget about Parliament. There’s reservation in education system which begins right after school. A meritorious student who is burning the midnight oil preparing for the entrance exam like engineering or medical, may lose his seat to those coming through reservation/quota system. And this may even mean no entry into on of the country’s premier institutes.

Moreover, if the student getting selected through reservation is a friend/colleague/classmate of the one who couldn’t make it through, it may strain their relationship and the effect may last for a lifetime.

And it was more than the betterment of women which led to the involvement of Sonia Gandhi in pushing the Bill through. It was sheer politics, and of course, her ego. By providing reservation to women in Parliament and state Assemblies, she and other politicians alike are undermining the achievements of women. Those who reached the helm of power, never needed reservation; even in the corporate world the women entrepreneurs who are among the most powerful persons, never reached there through reservation.

The point being raised by them is that women need equal status as men. According to me, every person is capable of reaching highest echelons of power and success without the aid of reservation. But for our netas, it's just another time for politics!

Thank God elections are over!

“I thank the people of my country to give us this opportunity to serve them for the coming five years. I humbly take the responsibility of becoming the Prime Minister and promise that after today (May 16), I and UPA chairperson Ms Sonia Gandhi will work in harmony to provide a stable government at the Centre,” BJP leader L K Advani said and together with Sonia Gandhi raised the sign of victory.

It was a historic day for India as after the election results both the BJP and the Congress have joined hands to form the government. The TV anchors were screaming at the top of their voice and surprised, stunned and shocked, I was nodding my head. ‘This can’t be happening? What kind of a decision is this? BJP and Congress are coming together? This can’t be happening,’ I was murmuring to myself.

Suddenly, the alarm clock buzzed and I was out of my dream. God knows how long it has been ringing for. When I saw the clock, it said 6:00 am. “O God! I’m late for the office!” I jumped out of the bed, recalling the marathon meeting we had at our office the previous day to discuss the preparations for May 16 -- the Counting Day. The dream was a result of that. I’ve been thinking about the elections too much. And today was May 16 and I was supposed to reach the office sharp at 6:00 am. But the month-long election coverage has left me exhausted and due to the tiredness, I woke up late.

When I reached the office, I was amazed to see the place. It was a Saturday and was supposed to be a quiet day as most of the office staff is at home. But May 16 was different. The place was abuzz with what would happen during the day. Hurriedly, I took my seat wondering I would be asked questions about getting late. But, to my surprise, nobody said a word. Everyone was busy. As soon as I sat in my chair, one of my colleagues came to me with some ‘very important work’, which later turned out to be keeping an eye on the TV just to see if there’s any update.

Well, the day began at a busy note. As soon as the counting began, there were lot of things that needed attention. Plus the boring speeches from our leaders about what they think of the result. Every politician had same words. I thought there’s no point in picking up every bit of information. But everything was just so ‘important’ that day. You can’t refuse because all your seniors are prepared to scream the moment they hear the word ‘No’. So, the work kept on piling up and the day just won’t end! Suddenly, I felt there are more than 24 hours in the day. I was present in the office since morning and now the Sun was about to set. I felt like the ever-present God of my office who saw everyone leave the office in the evening, but staying back himself.

Finally, the counting ended. The picture became clear that the Congress-led would be forming the next government, and the BJP and its allies were ready to sit in the Opposition. Its leaders have accepted defeat. Now began the tedious job of getting the statistics right. And the TV guys began their marathon rounds of telling the audience the various permutation and combinations ahead of the government formation. ‘Curse them!’ I murmured. I thought there was no going home today.

But then, I heard the magical words, “You can now go home”. The words sounded like ‘Open sesame’, which finally give you the hidden treasure. I heaved a sigh of relief and began packing for home. Though my dream of Congress and BJP making the government together was shattered by the bitter reality, I was happy that the counting got over without any hassles.