NEW DELHI: This could be the end of hope for the early passage of the Women's
Reservation Bill. A parliamentary panel assigned to examine the proposed law has
given the issue a new twist by asking whether the powerful OBCs should have
quota in Parliament and state legislatures.
The development will provide fresh ballast to the debate on extending the
frontier of caste-based reservations in legislatures beyond the constitutionally
guaranteed quotas for SCs and STs, and is sure to frustrate those anxiously
waiting to see the 33% women's quota become a reality.
Bowing to the demand of OBC-dominated outfits like Mulayam Singh Yadav's
Samajwadi Party and Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal, the committee led by E M
Sudarshana Natchiappan has sought the opinion of various political parties on
whether Constitution should be amended to provide "additional" quota for
backward classes in all legislatures of the country. What's more, the panel also
suggests that the prerogative to decide on the
quantum of ‘backward quota' in Parliament and legislatures
should be vested in the states.
The panel was set up to look into the feasibility of the demand of the OBC
establishment for a quota for women from OBC and minorities within the proposed
generic gender quota in legislatures.
The development means a new spoke in the already-delayed gender quota, and can
put parties like
Congress, BJP and the Left on the horns of a major political
dilemma over how to evade a direct response to the question posed by the
Natchiappan panel.
Unlike the OBC-dominated outfits, these parties derive their support from a
diverse constituency. Yet, they will be loath to annoy the powerful OBCs who,
having secured significant gains in the form of quotas in education and jobs,
are now setting their sights farther.
Ironically, the quota googly thrown by the panel validates those who opposed the
demand for OBC and minority quota within the women's quota.
The opponents of the kangaroo quota feared that it was sure to become the
precedent for caste-based reservations in legislatures, and that the OBC
politicians could actually be seeking to put a foot in the door by insisting on
"quota within quota".
Founding fathers were opposed to communal and caste quotas, because of the
experience of reservation for Muslims in legislatures, beginning in 1909 and
leading to Partition. They made a concession for the SCs and STs because of
their uniquely unfortunate social condition.
Apart from the anxiety not to offend the OBCs ahead of elections, there are
other reasons why the government may not like to put aside the latest hurdle in
the way of the women's reservation bill. Its new-found ally, SP, has vehemently
opposed the quota bill in its present form. In fact, the top SP duo, Mulayam
Singh Yadav and Amar Singh, cited this as the first reason for their discord
with the Left.
Given their dependence on the Samajwadis, government will find it difficult to
take an initiative even though the parties committed to the gender quota —
Congress, BJP, Left and DMK — make up the majority in Parliament. SP will find
support from RJD which, after Left's walkout, has a bigger leverage with the
Manmohan Singh government.
Sunday, 28 September 2008