It’s not easy to justify quotas. Indian politicians have been gung-ho about quotas for so long, that each passing decade has seen more groups, more communities hankering after it. If they demand things loudly enough, they do manage to get something for their efforts. So why should we welcome the addition of such a broad category of beneficiaries (women) as worthy of quotas?
One of the main arguments used by the backward class parties in voicing opposition to the Women’s Reservation Bill is that it will enable articulate upper-caste/upper-class women to grab the levers of power, nullifying all the gains made by the other backward castes (OBCs) in recent years.
Even Muslims seem to be uncomfortable with the idea, even though they have never been beneficiaries of quotas. The bill, it seems, has suddenly woken up every community to demand its share of the spoils. Sooner or later, we will have to start putting a lid on quotas.
Even so, this newspaper heartily welcomes the crossing of the first hurdle in the bill — clearance by the Rajya Sabha. There are three reasons why. One, the dramatic increase in the number of women entering legislatures could be a game changer, even if the new entrants happen to be all upper-class women (though that is highly unlikely).
The first lot of women beneficiaries could well be the wives of the Lalus and Mulayams, but their large numbers will lead to new thinking. Women congregating in Parliament are less likely to remain yes-women to their spouses and sons. Two, the high visibility of women leaders will give all women a psychological boost, even if there is no immediate change in the kind of laws they enact. Third, it should be possible for such a large gender group to reach out across party lines to work for common programmes that will benefit all. The very fact that the women’s bill got support from across party lines is testimony to this fact.
To be sure, the quotas are not going to come anytime soon. The Congress, having alienated many of its allies, is in no mood to rush the bill through the Lok Sabha. Once that hurdle is crossed, the battle will shift to the states. The Congress, BJP and the Left will have to move quickly to get the bill passed before male legislators start regrouping and the mood changes to one of active opposition. The spadework better begin now.
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