33 pc quota remains a dream

The frustration is echoed in the City as well, although Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar reiterated in Delhi that she wants the Bill to be introduced in the Lower House of Parliament in the current session.

A consensus is yet to be reached among the political parties, although the Bill, seeking reservation of 33 per cent of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, was passed in the Rajya Sabha on March 9 last year.

“Why is there a reluctance among the leaders to agree for the introduction of the Bill? It has taken a long time,” said Cecily James, a City-based women’s activist.

The Preamble of the Constitution talks about justice, liberty of thought and equality of status and opportunity, irrespective of gender, Cecily said. But, in practice, it had not been implemented in its entirety.

Ensuring adequate representation for women in legislative bodies was expected to become a safeguard for women against violence of different forms against them, physical, mental, domestic and societal. “Neither gender is superior or inferior. But they complement and supplement each other,” said Cecily, echoing the views of the City’s womankind.