Telangana MLC K Kavitha alleged that the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in Parliament was like a post-dated cheque, with no clarity on “when you can cash it”.
Insisting that women should be given 33 percent reservation in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies immediately, as per the Bill passed in both houses of Parliament, the BRS leader accused the NDA government at the Centre of not implementing it despite being able to do so.
‘Post-dated cheque’
“So, it’s a very clear sign and signal to the women of this country that passing the Women’s Reservation Bill is like giving a post-dated cheque.We have signed the cheque.
The amount is written but we do not know when you can cash it.There is no point or purpose to this whole exercise.It just looks like tokenism to me,” she told media reporters.
Yet, the passage of the Bill was a good gesture which should be celebrated, she said.
On the demand for reservation for OBC women in the women’s Bill, she said the OBCs should get 33 percent share in Parliament and state Assemblies to begin with, and once OBC reservation was given, it would automatically reflect for OBC women as well.
Asked if the winnability factor is cited to stop representation for women, she replied in the affirmative and said more efforts were needed to enhance representation for women and other sections of society in the political system.
Kavitha, who is the founder of ‘Bharat Jagruti’, a cultural organisation, said she is keen on taking up workshops on leadership across the country to prepare women for roles at the helm.
Kavitha’s letter to parties
The former MP from Nizamabad has lately been taking up the issue and even convened a Deeksha in New Delhi in March this year, requesting all parties to prove their commitment to the cause of women by passing the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.
In her letters, Kavitha urged the presidents of the parties to set aside their political differences to ensure that the Bill becomes an Act.
In her letter, Kavitha stressed the crucial role women play in every sphere of life and, therefore, said that they deserve representation in legislative bodies.She said that there were already 14 lakh women active in public life, demonstrating their ability to lead and govern effectively.
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