INTERVIEW

‘Let the capable women come forward’

Ques : The percentage of women in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is 10%, which is better than some West European countries, UK 7%, but below the world average. What is your party’s programme to increase this number?

Ans : Our Constitution has been changed, now we have 33% women reservation within the party. Our demand is for 33% reservation through elections to the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha. Rajya Sabha, is a different matter. It is above reservation. For the Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha our party has decided on reservations of 33% if we come to power. Rajivji piloted the scheme, Narsimha Rao implemented it, and during Narsimha’s time at village and district level politics the 33% was given. Our party is emphasising on training those women who are already elected and those women who are party office bearers so that they become capable of winning elections and governance. We train them how to implement schemes in the villages, educate them about their health and their rights, so that they become fighters.

You may say that the Indian average is better than in some of European countries, but we are far behind the Scandinavian countries. We would want to achieve their level of 39% in Norway. We are of course proud that in those Asian countries which surround us, be it Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, we had at least one women Prime Minister. This whole belt has been labelled for supressing women, yet was able to produce at least one women PM.

Ques : Is it not a major problem to get women who are mere housewives into politics?

Ans : In India our system is not only patriarchal, but also orthodox. Women are supposed to be behind the scenes. It becomes a habit for a woman not to speak out of turn. Similarly was the case with me when I came into politics in 1972. I hesitated to say what I felt.

But it is not that we lack confidence or education. Only that we have to change our mindset, that we are equal when we come out in the field, and when women are exposed to political life they can deliver much better than men. So, in India you’ll find in Panchayats many women who got elected on reserved seats previously, then have fought on open seats and got re-elected.

Ques : So you believe that women are better organisers and leaders? Do you believe that?

Ans : I am a great believer that the woman who is the main organizer in the house and in the family, if given the opportunity will be able to organize the area from where she is representing.

Ques : Better than men?

Ans : I am not saying better, but as effective as men. Why should I say better? Some women are not good at their work, some are brilliant. Similarly men. So, why are we comparing ? We are not comparing. We are demanding equality, let the capable women come forward, do not suppress them saying that they are not capable. We are not trying to fight a race of winning and going ahead of men, but we are saying that our work should be recognized.

Ques : Inspite of persistent efforts and several hundred laws favouring women, the ground realities show that women get more respect if they give birth to baby boy and girls’ family has to give a huge dowry when the female member is married off. What your party, the women movement are doing to change this situation?

Ans : You see our party has a maximum women leaders. We always set an example with the case of Mrs. Indira Gandhi being only child of her father, who achieved the highest post in the country. There are many examples like P.T. Usha and other women who have done much better in their field than men.

Because here you have to be better than the man, then you are accepted, if you are equal to a man you are not accepted. I come from a state where the dowry system is not there, the only thing demanded is that the girl has to be educated. So this is of great importance to us.

Ques : But the reality shows that women are marginalised in this country...

Ans : That is a concept you have in Europe. In India, in any household the main person is the most senior woman. She is the one who rules and dictates terms to the men.

I’ve been repeatedly telling women when I go to different places, that we ourselves are our worst enemy. We have to start looking at society in a different way, and we should not think that a woman is a burden. The woman became burden in the medieval times when the invaders came and took away the women. That is why they went into purdah, and were pushed into the background.

Ques : How do you explain, that in UP the female literacy rate is only 26% and in Rajasthan (Barmer) there is a district where only 8% of girl child can read and write?

Ans : Although I was born in Rajasthan and married in Himachal I know what you are saying about women. I’ve spoken to people in the villages, and once I met a boy in Rajashtan who was looking after his flocks. I asked : Are you not going to school? No, he replied; My brother goes to school, and that’s enough. The families think, that if one male member is educated that’s enough. Because other ones have to go to the fields, manage the cows, the women have to work in the house and girls normally married off at the age of 14-15. But in Himachal none of the girls are married before 24-25.

Ques : What is your party doing in Rajasthan in this regard?

Ans : Rajasthan is difficult, but more problematic is Bihar, where the child - both male and female - exploitation is more than Rajasthan.

Ques : But what is Congress Party’s policy to change this situation?

Ans : Our programme had been always to make education compulsory for the girl child, giving them certain benefits, sort of a cash for books, and we try to offer incentives that the families should send their girl child to school. But the thinking is so narrow-minded, they think that if the girl child goes to school she would get involved with boys, and then they can’t marry her off, and that sort of things. But in Himachal all these things are more liberal.

Ques : Coming back to the Parliament issue of 33% reservation for women are you in favour of RWR (reservation within reservation) for the dalits, tribes, etc.?

Ans : I’m saying that put the Bill for discussion, if any recommendation comes, there should be a long discussion, because it is a very-very sensitive issue. Take all suggestions, do not pass the Bill immediately, send the suggestions to the ministry, let them come back with a fresh Bill with all the recommendations. So if you have the majority of members saying that there should be RWR then there should be RWR.

Ques : Other parties which want RWR want that not only women from influential families should come forward, but women from the lower strata too. Do you agree on this point?

Ans : Some of the tribal, SC women are far brighter than the better-off women. They are more hard working because they want to prove to their parents, communities, that they are not any less than their brothers, the competition is spread amongst them. So why should we try to label a woman who is already deprived to fight for her rights? This has only been used by some senior political leaders to block the Bill. As simple as that.

- Mrs. Hajnal B. Kumar
(Writer is an Hungarian journalist living in Delhi)