Men Keep the House

The program is a campaign promise of the United Front government of Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who came to power in June. Gowda introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha, the law-making lower house of Parliament, on Sept. 12. Currently only 37 of the 542 house members are women. When the bill came up for discussion on Sept. 13, the last day of the session, many legislators protested. They argued that the bill, which cannot be passed without amending the Constitution, had been drafted far too hurriedly.

The government then referred it to a special committee, which will submit its report when the house reconvenes in November. It will probably be put to a vote in that session. This is the third time that a women's bill has been introduced in Parliament. A similar bill was moved by Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, but it was defeated. In 1993, another bill succeeded in giving special representation to women in village councils.

In their attempt to block last week's legislation, virtually all parties except the communists contrived a clever strategy. While senior party leaders trumpeted their support, their male parliamentary colleagues created an uproar. Women's groups expected the party leaders to keep their word and back the amendment, says former MP and feminist leader Pramila Dandavate, a prime mover behind the bill. In the end, though, "these male MPs were scared of losing their seats."

The most vociferous objections came from leaders representing India's lower caste and tribal groups, collectively known as the "Other Backward Castes." They want lower-caste women to get special political representation in keeping with the government's policy of favoring oppressed groups. Since Independence in 1947, certain electoral constituencies have been set aside exclusively for India's downtrodden.

Backers of the bill believe that despite the initial opposition, it has a good chance of passing in November. Reason: no politician can afford any longer to alienate India's long-oppressed women, who have now become a major political force.

Will women's condition improve if the bill is passed? "In the short term, there is likely to be abuse," admits Ashis Nandy, a respected political analyst in Delhi. "Corrupt politicians will nominate their wives or daughters." But as deserving candidates begin to enter politics, "there will be many beneficial effects, such as greater focus on family issues." That assumes that the men will give up their seats.

-- By Ajay Singh and Arjuna Ranawana/New Delhi