The Ayes have it!

It is only after feminist consciousness in India reached a critical mass that Women's Reservation Bill got finally passed in the Rajya Sabha, that too, with a thumping majority.
Shaweta Anand Delhi

Terming it as a "soft revolution," Professor Anuradha Chenoy, School of International Studies, JNU, told Hardnews that the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha is a major breakthrough for Indian women, within and outside political parties. "A certain feminist consciousness has been reached that prompted major political parties to decide in favour of the Bill, despite their past record of opposing it," she said.

Calling it a major step in representative politics in this country, General Secretary of the All India Democratic Women's Association Sudha Sundararaman said that opposition by parties like RJD, SP and JD(U) can be  attributed to a deep-rooted belief that women cannot do the job well.  "Till last minute, there were proposals in Rajya Sabha to have two-member constituencies that could be primarily run by men and women, but not women alone!" Sundararaman was speaking at a public meeting held in JNU on Tuesday evening.

Citing experiences of elected women in panchayats and municipalities in Tamil Nadu, she said that even with minimum community support, these women have drastically changed provisioning of essential goods and services in their respective constituencies. So women are well capable of taking on decision-making roles in public spaces, she emphasised.

The Bill now awaits passage in the Lok Sabha, after which it has to be ratified by state Assemblies.