Women Reservation: Moving the Goalposts

Within days of the Modi government sharing a proposal to implement one-third reservation for women in Lok Sabha, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy raised objections on the ground that a uniform 50 per cent increase in seats for all states would discriminate against the southern states as northern states would gain more seats overall. Although the contours of the final Bill are not clear, the proposal seeks to increase the current strength of the House from 552 to 816, including 273 for women. Reddy’s argument needs closer scrutiny. Till not long ago, he and other opposition leaders from the South expressed concern that the ongoing Census would “punish” the South for doing better on population control as more populous northern states could gain more Lok Sabha seats.

The Centre has now proposed going by Census 2011 and, if implemented, it could guarantee increases in seats for southern states that would be more than they could have hoped for if the latest population figures were used. Reddy is trying to argue it both ways—stoking fears over a delimitation based on the results of the current Census while also questioning the 2011 data proposal. Congress may have reasons to worry about actual implementation of women’s reservation after decades of false starts, giving BJP a solid talking point for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. But the pressure of public opinion, particularly women voters, is such that voting against the proposed legislation when it is placed before Parliament could be highly counterproductive.

Ground Realities

On March 27, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla permitted an extended Zero Hour to accommodate a long list of MPs who had missed out due to repeated disruptions of the House. The MPs were encouraged to speak in their native languages and this was widely appreciated as it was an opportunity to relate directly to constituents. There were some interesting observations, such as Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt’s concern about ghost villages (bhutia gaon) in the middle Himalayas rather than on the border as has been more common, or cribs about lack of certain amenities like roads, schools and rail connections. Collectively, they provided a picture of concerns subsumed by protests over ‘national’ issues such as the Election Commission’s electoral roll revision.

Speaker’s Firmness

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is being quite strict with both MPs and ministers during Question Hour. He is insisting MPs stick to their point and avoid wasting time on “congratulating” ministers as a preamble to their query. Ministers are asked to get straight to the point too and not waste time on externalities that are not part of the listed submission. It would seem Birla has made up his mind to be business-like after returning to his seat after the No-Confidence Motion against him was defeated.

President’s Protocol

BJP MP from Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahtab measures his words carefully and it is not usual for him to raise local constituency issues in Lok Sabha. He immediately attracted attention when he stood up during Zero Hour, but his subject made it clear that his intervention was not commonplace. He protested breaches of protocol and lack of courtesy during President Droupadi Murmu’S visit to West Bengal and demanded action against state officials as both the chief secretary and the state police chief were found wanting.

Camel Trail

Criminals have become more and more inventive, with the digital age offering novel ways to scam the unsuspecting. But one Vinod was recently held by Delhi Police using an old-world mode of smuggling liquor— camels. The animals were used to transport close to 2,000 ‘quarters’ of booze from Faridabad to Sangam Vihar on wooded trails along the Delhi-Haryana border. Camels with their wide hooves and noiseless movement proved ideal to negotiate the woods. Until their handler was caught.

Just the Facts

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule passionately raised the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in an air crash, arguing that if someone of his stature did not get “justice”, what would be the fate of others? The NCP (SP) faction has demanded an “impartial” probe and Rohit Pawar, MLA and grandnephew of Sharad Pawar, has filed a complaint with the police in Bengaluru claiming a conspiracy in Ajit Pawar’s death. NCP leaders led by Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra, meanwhile, point out that no evidence of conspiracy has come to light so far and an inquiry is underway.

Tenuous Truce

After the government and opposition agreed on a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ in Parliament, limiting both disruptions and the manner of protests, the truce seems to be holding. Both Houses have seen discussions and Bills have been passed at a brisk pace. But the test will come in the Monsoon Session as by then the state elections would be over. Campaigning in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry has resulted in low attendance and a thin presence on opposition benches while the BJP representation from these states is also not high.