Women’s Studies Paper-15 Geeta Mukherjee-Architect of the Women’s Reservation Bill Module-16 PERSONAL DETAILS Role Name Affiliation Principal Investigator Prof. Sumita Parmar Allahabad University, Allahabad Paper Coordinator Dr. Sabu George & CWDS, New Delhi Dr. Kumudini Pati Independent Researcher Associated with the Centre for Women’s Studies Allahabad University Content Writer/Author Dr. Kumudini Pati Independent Researcher Associated with the Centre for Women’s Studies Allahabad University Content Reviewer (CR) Prof. Sumita Parmar Allahabad University Language Editor (LE) Prof. Sumita Parmar Allahabad University, Allahabad DESCRIPTION OF MODULE Subject name Women’s Studies Paper name The stories the States Tell Module name/Title Geeta Mukherjee-Architect of the Women’s Reservation Bill Module ID Paper-15, Module-16 Pre-requisite Some awareness of the context of the Women’s Reservaton Bill Objectives To give the student an understanding of the history of the Women’s Reservation Bill and the long struggle that has gone into it. Keywords Quota, constitution, election, Lok Sabha, Parliament Geeta Mukherjee-Architect of the Women’s Reservation Bill Introduction A modest self-effacing personality but with a steely resolve to fight for the rights of women and the toiling people of India, Geeta Mukherjee, CPI M.P. from Panskura, West Bengal, remained active till the last day of her life. She was a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from 1967 to 1977, winning the Panskura Purba Assembly seat 4 times in a row. She was elected a Member of Parliament for 7 terms, and remained active in parliamentary struggles for a period of 33 long years. Though she was a staunch Communist, she was admired and revered by all, even cutting across Party lines. No one could point a finger at her as she discharged her duties in the West Bengal Assembly and the Parliament of India as an honest, committed and modest peoples’ representative. Geeta Mukherjee’s role in the drafting of the Women’s Reservation Bill and her inputs in the Joint Select Committee of ParliamentA were exemplary. In fact she was the main architect of the Bill. She was also an active campaigner for the Bill and had resolved to get it passed in her lifetime. But, unfortunately, that was not to be. Yet, the day her dream is fulfilled will be a turning point in the history of the Women’s Movement. Mukherjee and The Women’s Bill Geeta Mukherjee was Chairperson of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament on the Women's Reservation Bill since 1996 (providing for the reservation of one-third of the total number of seats in State Assemblies and Parliament for women). During the 1996 elections to the Eleventh Lok Sabha, all major political parties had declared in their election manifestoes that they would get a Bill passed so as to introduce 33% reservation for women in Parliament and the State Assemblies.The Women’s Reservation Bill was introduced for the first time on the 4th of September, 1996 by the United Front (Deve Gowda) Government. It was placed as the 81st Constitutional Amendment Bill. Then it was referred to a Joint Select Parliamentary Committee chaired by the late Geeta Mukherjee and with 31 members from both houses of Parliament. The Joint Select Committee received 102 memoranda from different organizations and Women’s groups and Associations. It also heard many eminent social workers and representatives of Women’s Organizations, and presented its report to the Eleventh Lok Sabha on the 9th of December 1996, in a record period of 3 months. Leaders of the NFIW recounted how many women had sent memoranda signed in blood. This had really moved Geetadi. She said she was determined to see the Bill reach its logical conclusion. But her dream could not be fulfilled and the struggle for getting it passed got severely diluted through disruptions by the Social Justice Camp of the RJD, the JD(U), the JD(Secular) and the Samajwadi Party, that made a demand for a quota within quota. She dependend on the Left, Congress and BJP to build a majority, but was extremely disappointed to find them backtracking, using the lack of consensus as a pretext. Although she was equally committed to other issues, her main preoccupation had become ensuring passage of the Women's Reservation Bill. She had even turned down an offer for a ministerial berth in the I.K. Gujral government on the ground that she wanted to concentrate fully on the Bill. She had strived to carry everyone along with her, including those who wanted a separate quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). In 1997, in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Geeta Mukherjee said, “Sir, I would like to inform the House that the hon. Speaker had given us a word of honour that on the 29th July 1997, the `Women's Reservation Bill' would be there in the List of Business.” All through the Monsoon Session Geeta Mukherjee lobbied for the passage of the Eighty First Constitutional Amendment Bill, which had been placed lowest in the List of Business. On 14 August, 1997, the last day of the Monsoon Session, she had an opportunity to occupy the Chair, being on the panel of presiding officers who conduct the business of the House in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. All of a sudden, Geeta Mukherjee, as soon as she had occupied the chair, declared that the Women’s Reservation Bill would be taken up for discussion. But, unfortunately the Bill had been placed as item number 24 in the List, meaning that it would not be taken up at all on that day. She was reminded by Ram Naik (BJP) that proceedings of the House would have to be conducted according to rules. After Geeta Mukherjee it was Mr. Nitish Kumar’s turn to be in the Chair. Again Geeta Mukherjee demanded discussion on the Women’s Bill. Nitish Kumar promised to give her an opportunity after business under Rule 377 was over. But after that it was time for the Private Members’ BillsB, and Nitish said he could not do anything. That is when she appealed to women members to stage a walkout in protest, but few women members were present. She finally walked out of the House with five other Left and Congress women MPs. Sushma Swaraj (BJP) chose not to join and slipped out quietly1. “We walk out in protest of the Eighty-First Constitution (Amendment) Bill not being taken up”, they declared. It was 3.46 p.m. Mr. Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, M.P. from Howrah also left the house in support2. Geeta Mukherjee campaigned in all the states of the country for the Women’s Bill. Speaking to journalists after facing defeat in the Parliament, she said, “Even when my husband died, I was brave. But today, I’ve been reduced to tears.” Due to her strong political convictions and ideological commitment, Geeta Mukherjee was respected by all, across party lines, but the Bill evaded consensus. Geeta Mukherjee had in her Report of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament, expressed her objections to sub-reservation or quota within 33% quota, where she argued that there was no precedent or move for (general) OBC reservation in Legislative bodies or Panchayats and that the problem could be solved without reservation if OBC women could be put up in OBC-dominated constituencies (Geeta Mukherjee Committee Report, 1997). It has been a long struggle since 1996………..3&4 Sept 1996 Women’s Reservation Bill introduced and referred to Joint Select Committee of Parliament Nov 1996 Women’s organizations submit joint memo to Joint Select Committee May 1997 Women’s organizations submit joint memo to national political parties August 1997 Geeta Mukherjee walks out of House in protest of the Bill not being taken up for discussion, along with 5 women MPs July 1998 Joint women’s protest at Parliament to press for passage of Bill July 1998 National Commission of Women condemns manhandling of women protestors and demands that there be no dilution of Bill Aug 1998 Joint delegation of women’s organizations meet PM Vajpayee Aug 1998 Joint march and dharna to Parliament and demand to list the Bill for discussion and passage Nov 1998 Women’s Charter for 12th Lok Sabha Elections demand passage of Bill by political parties Dec 1998 Joint Convention at Delhi – “Voices of all communities for 33% Reservation for Women” March 1999 International Women’s Day jointly observed with the main demand for the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill April 2000 Joint Memo to the Chief Election Commissioner to withdraw proposal for reservation for women in party lists as an alternative to the Bill Dec 2000 Joint delegation to Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi to protest against his calling a meeting of political parties to discuss the diversionary proposal to amend the People’s Representation Act to ensure one third representation of women in lists of candidates of political parties March 2003 Joint memorandum to Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sushma Swaraj to demand that the Bill is put to vote rather than discuss alternative proposals in all- party meeting April 2003 Joint appeal to leaders of political parties to support passage of Bill on the 10th anniversary of the 73rd and 74th Amendments giving 33% reservation to women in local self government bodies. April 2004 Joint election statement issued to vote NDA government out of Parliament. One of the reasons cited was betrayal of women on the Reservation Bill May 2004 Joint appeal to Congress President Sonia Gandhi to demand inclusion of the assurance to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Common Minimum Programme May 2005 Joint delegation to PM Manmohan Singh to ask for placing Bill for discussion May 2006 Joint delegation meets PM Manmohan Singh once again to demand introduction of Bill for discussion May 2006 Joint delegation to meet Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav requesting him to intervene positively in favour of the Bill 2nd August 2006 An amended version of the original Bill was placed in 2008.