PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2001 ID-41679
.
3 .
.. .
A4 .
discus~'<!. However if implemented it would have led to a further .
At present as a result of this constitutional mandate there aremarginillisation of women from the political mainstream reinforcing around one million women members in elected bodies in djfferent.
, theprejudice thatwomencannotrepresentthegeneralinterests ofboth .
States of the country..
.
men and women. However in suggesting election of the women as ' oppoS(.~ to cooption itimproved on the Rai Committee recommenda~ .
Experience of Panchayats.
tion. .
Theexperienceof women in panchayatsand local bodiesis mixed1978 :The Ashok Mehta Committee gave its report on.the pan-just as it is for male members in panchayats. Not all male members inchayat system. lt recommended that two women getting the highest .
number of votes in the election should be automatically coopted even panchayats arc active. Many social factors like poverty, castediscrimi-nation, community based oppression ensure that a large maj9rity of.
if they failed to get elected. This suggestion would have meant that women representatives would not be backed by the peoplesmandate panchayats function only as the rubber stamp for the richer sections in and therefore their role would be devalued and not taken seriously. the rural areas. Naturally women coming into this system will face their laws and introduced tremendousbarrierswiththeaddeddiscriminationofgender.Women's.
Meanwhile many States amended role in public lifeoftendependson theattitude ofthe menin thefamily..
reservatlon of two seats for women through elections. .
Oftenhusbandsorsons try to takeoverher role even ifsheistheelected.
1983 : The Kamataka State Government amended its laws to . .member.Thisis the phenomenonofthepanch pati or thesarpanch pati,.
reserveone fourth, thatis25 percentseatsfor women.Thiswasimpl~ that is the husband of the e~~ctcd female member taking over hermented in the 1987 panchayat elections and for the first time a position. Instead oftakingstern action against su.chmen,Governmentssignificant number of women were elected into the local bodies. .
1988: The National Prospective Plan for Women recommended in many States in North India where the panch patis are more in number, have allowed this type ofproxy politics. This is a sure way of.
one third reservations for women at all Jev:els from the panchayats to .
the Lok Sabha. The Plan proposed by the Central Governmentdid not sabotaging the reservations. But what is remarkable is that even in .these States where ther.e has been no tradition of social reform move-.
makeitdear whether· this was to be through~ooptionor through the .
ments and where women arc in many ways still in feudal bondage,democraticprocessofelections. ~twas tRerefore opposed by women's .
socially and culturally{ women panchayat and zila parishad womenorganisations who felt that this could be a device for any ruling party .
members have il) numerous areas overcome the barriers and are.
to avoid the electoral process and nominate i~ ow~supporters in the .
functioning as efficient peoples representatives. In those States where.
name of women's representation. This principled position taken by.
there have been land reforms which have weakened the power ofthe.
women's organisations shows that they have always seen women's .
rural elite like·in W. Bengal or Kerala, which is dominated by the left.. representation as part of the. necessary process of strengthening parties, the functioning ofpanchayats is much more democratic. Heredemocracy..
if women are given an equal opportunity, there is a political and social.
1991 :The amendments for·the panchayat legi~lation was intro-.
climate to encourage their independent functioning. That is why in -duced in Parliament but rejected because of other clauses relating to .
these States women panchayat members have been functioning on par.
' overcentralisation. All political partiessupported inprincipletheneed .
.
if not better than their male counterparts. In Karnataka and to somefor reservations for women in panchayats. .
extent in Maharash~a also, women members have been functioning.
' 1992: The Left FrontGovernment in West Bengal became the first.
.~ . Government to hold panchayat elections with one third representation independently. When one third representation for women in pan-.
.
chayats was passed, almost all political parties complained if not infor women even before the 73 and74 Constitutional amendments were public, at least in private forums that there would not be enough.
passed in the Lok Sabha. .
women to contest elections. The experience has proved them quite.
1993 : The 73 and 74 amendments were adopted. Since then.
/ wherever there have been elections to panchayats and urban local wrong. .
.
However thepanchayat experience hasalso shown the danger of .
I.
bodjes, one third seats have been reserved for women. There are . '.
.. sabotage and use of women as proxies. But how is this problem to be .
reservations aJso for office bearers including Mayors andsarpanches. f..
' overcome? Do you say send all the women as proxies? But how is this .
problem to be overcome? Do you say send all the women back to their f .
..' 4 s.
.
... .
'. .
-,. .
' .
. .
""' . .. .
.
.
PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2001 ID-41679
.
3 .
.. .
A4 .
discus~'<!. However if implemented it would have led to a further .
At present as a result of this constitutional mandate there aremarginillisation of women from the political mainstream reinforcing around one million women members in elected bodies in djfferent.
, theprejudice thatwomencannotrepresentthegeneralinterests ofboth .
States of the country..
.
men and women. However in suggesting election of the women as ' oppoS(.~ to cooption itimproved on the Rai Committee recommenda~ .
Experience of Panchayats.
tion. .
Theexperienceof women in panchayatsand local bodiesis mixed1978 :The Ashok Mehta Committee gave its report on.the pan-just as it is for male members in panchayats. Not all male members inchayat system. lt recommended that two women getting the highest .
number of votes in the election should be automatically coopted even panchayats arc active. Many social factors like poverty, castediscrimi-nation, community based oppression ensure that a large maj9rity of.
if they failed to get elected. This suggestion would have meant that women representatives would not be backed by the peoplesmandate panchayats function only as the rubber stamp for the richer sections in and therefore their role would be devalued and not taken seriously. the rural areas. Naturally women coming into this system will face their laws and introduced tremendousbarrierswiththeaddeddiscriminationofgender.Women's.
Meanwhile many States amended role in public lifeoftendependson theattitude ofthe menin thefamily..
reservatlon of two seats for women through elections. .
Oftenhusbandsorsons try to takeoverher role even ifsheistheelected.
1983 : The Kamataka State Government amended its laws to . .member.Thisis the phenomenonofthepanch pati or thesarpanch pati,.
reserveone fourth, thatis25 percentseatsfor women.Thiswasimpl~ that is the husband of the e~~ctcd female member taking over hermented in the 1987 panchayat elections and for the first time a position. Instead oftakingstern action against su.chmen,Governmentssignificant number of women were elected into the local bodies. .
1988: The National Prospective Plan for Women recommended in many States in North India where the panch patis are more in number, have allowed this type ofproxy politics. This is a sure way of.
one third reservations for women at all Jev:els from the panchayats to .
the Lok Sabha. The Plan proposed by the Central Governmentdid not sabotaging the reservations. But what is remarkable is that even in .these States where ther.e has been no tradition of social reform move-.
makeitdear whether· this was to be through~ooptionor through the .
ments and where women arc in many ways still in feudal bondage,democraticprocessofelections. ~twas tRerefore opposed by women's .
socially and culturally{ women panchayat and zila parishad womenorganisations who felt that this could be a device for any ruling party .
members have il) numerous areas overcome the barriers and are.
to avoid the electoral process and nominate i~ ow~supporters in the .
functioning as efficient peoples representatives. In those States where.
name of women's representation. This principled position taken by.
there have been land reforms which have weakened the power ofthe.
women's organisations shows that they have always seen women's .
rural elite like·in W. Bengal or Kerala, which is dominated by the left.. representation as part of the. necessary process of strengthening parties, the functioning ofpanchayats is much more democratic. Heredemocracy..
if women are given an equal opportunity, there is a political and social.
1991 :The amendments for·the panchayat legi~lation was intro-.
climate to encourage their independent functioning. That is why in -duced in Parliament but rejected because of other clauses relating to .
these States women panchayat members have been functioning on par.
' overcentralisation. All political partiessupported inprincipletheneed .
.
if not better than their male counterparts. In Karnataka and to somefor reservations for women in panchayats. .
extent in Maharash~a also, women members have been functioning.
' 1992: The Left FrontGovernment in West Bengal became the first.
.~ . Government to hold panchayat elections with one third representation independently. When one third representation for women in pan-.
.
chayats was passed, almost all political parties complained if not infor women even before the 73 and74 Constitutional amendments were public, at least in private forums that there would not be enough.
passed in the Lok Sabha. .
women to contest elections. The experience has proved them quite.
1993 : The 73 and 74 amendments were adopted. Since then.
/ wherever there have been elections to panchayats and urban local wrong. .
.
However thepanchayat experience hasalso shown the danger of .
I.
bodjes, one third seats have been reserved for women. There are . '.
.. sabotage and use of women as proxies. But how is this problem to be .
reservations aJso for office bearers including Mayors andsarpanches. f..
' overcome? Do you say send all the women as proxies? But how is this .
problem to be overcome? Do you say send all the women back to their f .
..' 4 s.
.
... .
'. .
-,. .
' .
. .
""' . .. .
.
.