Enlighten women before giving quota, says Veep’s wife

NEW DELHI: Mandal parties that have opposed the women’s reservation bill on the grounds that it would only benefit the elite received a boost when vice-president Hamid Ansari’s wife echoed similar sentiments. In remarks certain to be welcomed by sections arraigned against the bill, Ms Salma Ansari said she had a ‘problem’ with it and contended that it would not help women’s empowerment unless awareness was created among women at the grassroot level.

“I have a problem with this bill. The government comes up with a lot of schemes and projects, but how many women are able to take advantage of these?” She was responding to queries put up by newspersons on the sidelines of a function held in Agra.

“Unless awareness is created among women at the grassroots level and they are educated, such pieces of legislation will not be of much help,” the vice-president’s wife argued. “Till the time they are educated, unless they understand that they have to take care of their lives themselves, no matter how many such bills are passed, there will be no benefit to the grassroot-level women,’’ Ms Ansari maintained.

Ms Ansari’s remarks are certain to be lapped up by leaders of parties such as the Samajwadi Party, RJD, BSP and a section of JD(U), which have been resisting the passage of the bill.

Arguing that seats reserved for women would be cornered primarily by the urban population and the relatively well-off among women, they have been advocating a quota-within-quota to take care of the interests of Backwards and minorities.

Certain Muslim organisations too have been gunning for the bill as they feel that it would lead to the shrinking of opportunities for their community. They have been lobbying with the political class to stall the bill’s passage, with little luck so far.

With Congress president Sonia Gandhi personally monitoring the movement of the women’s reservation bill, the government is under immense pressure to get it cleared by the Lok Sabha.

Though the bill has been passed by the Rajya Sabha, it is likely to run into resistance in the Lok Sabha. The government’s task has been rendered that much more difficult by the position taken by BJP that it will not allow use of marshals to evict members in the Lower House, even if they resort to unruly means to stall the bill.