00:00Joining me right now is Ms. Margaret Alwa, five times parliamentarian, she's been a cabinet minister, a governor, she's with
00:06us live, but today in the capacity of someone who chaired in 1987 the Alwa Committee, at the back of
00:14which 33% reservation took place in panchayats, but thank you Ms. Alwa for joining us this afternoon.
00:24But one quick question ma'am, today everybody is looking at the Congress. You chaired the Alwa Committee, at the
00:30back there was reservation where panchayats were concerned. So many years, decades later, we are standing at the precipice of
00:37creating history where we could have women reservation in parliament and legislatures and strangely the Congress, some would suggest, is
00:46not standing by the side of history, the right side of history.
00:52I'm sorry, I don't think that's a fair assessment to make at all. The Congress pioneered the whole issue of
01:04quotas and 33% reservation for women.
01:08It was these opposition parties that blocked it at every stage. And finally, the Rajasabha, which had the numbers, voted
01:19it, but the Lokasabha could not do it, though Modi's government had the majority.
01:30Today, when we are literally waiting for this bill to be implemented, it was passed in 23. All parties have
01:42supported it. Today, you want to tie it up with delimitation.
01:48You want to tie it up with this national census. Okay, now you're saying you'll go back to 2011 census.
01:58When the parties said this, not to wait for the next census, they were determined to wait for the next
02:06census.
02:06Now, what has happened? Now, what has happened? Cold feet? Or is it that they just want to show the
02:14women of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu that they are the great champions of women's reservation?
02:21I mean, what is this political game? The entire process has been completed in 23. At that time, we said,
02:31don't put it off. Immediately implement it. Let the next elections that are taking place get the women in, 33
02:41% women in.
02:43They didn't agree. And now, when the code of conduct is on, when two crucial states are fighting assembly elections,
02:55you want those leaders, those MPs to come and sit in parliament, you are tying it up with other bills
03:04which should have no connection to the women's reservation bill.
03:09What is this sinister game? The women of India can't be fooled like this. We know what they are up
03:20to. They want to take political advantage in these two state elections.
03:25But they are totally mistaken. The women of Bengal and the women of Tamil Nadu are quite aware of what
03:35is happening, of their rights and of the government's game.
03:44Ms. Alba, I hear you, where you speak of the distrust and why the distrust is there from the opposition
03:50and the timing of the introduction of the special session.
03:54I hear you on all of those accounts. But go back in history, Ms. Alba.
03:57You know, if you actually look at it, and I've just gone through, ever since, you know, where you have
04:06Lok Sabha by Lok Sabha, Assembly by Assembly, it's never quite surpassed 15% where women representation is concerned.
04:13There has been a complete lack of political will, and you've seen it yourself in parliament as well, where you
04:18yourself elucidated that one house passed it and it was difficult in the other.
04:22Today, now, there might be apprehensions. There has to be some middle ground, because we are practically standing at the
04:30precipice of history.
04:31If we miss this chance, then it could be another 10 years in the making.
04:39No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This legislation is already passed in 23. It can be undone.
04:50The question is that of implementation. We asked for immediate implementation, which they refused in 23.
05:01They said, no, it will come after the census. It will come after the delimitation.
05:09Today, what happened? Suddenly, they had a bad dream.
05:14Mr. Modi had some other plan in his mind. What was it?
05:20When the assembly elections are on, when the code of conduct is on, you are trying to change a law
05:29which you passed,
05:31tying it up to the next census and to the delimitation,
05:36taking it back to 2011, the last census, and trying to increase seats, deny seats to some states which have
05:50progressed
05:50and give them to states which are still lagging behind.
05:55I mean, what kind of politics is this?
05:58Do you think we in the South are going to keep quiet?
06:02For all the work that our governments have done, limiting population, development, and all the positive factors,
06:12you are today punishing us, and you are trying to rush through these bills at a time when MPs of
06:21the two crucial states
06:22should be on the ground campaigning?
06:25Are you afraid that you are losing to these two states and so have to divert attention?
06:31What is it?
06:32What is behind this game plan of the Modi shardu?
06:37Nobody knows.
06:38Fair point.
06:38I understand.
06:39I understand the apprehensions.
06:41I hear you.
06:42I hear you on the apprehensions that the opposition has raised.
06:46But, Ms. Alwa, you know, for a moment, I would like you to just take a step back from being
06:51a part of the Congress
06:53and maybe look at it from the lens of not just being a woman, but also being a woman who
06:59chaired the Alwa Committee
07:00at the back of which there was reservation at the Panchayat level.
07:04And, you know, when you look at things from that lens, there has never been political will.
07:09I am not just, you know, look at the Congress, where is representation?
07:14Even in your CWC, it is an abomination that there are no representatives of women.
07:19The same thing is with the BJP as well.
07:21I am not saying BJP is better than the Congress, but there has never really been political will.
07:26How many tickets do we really give to women, which is across parties?
07:30They are all quite the same.
07:32Listen, listen, I am sorry, don't try to divert the basic issue today.
07:40Parliament is on.
07:42The bill has been passed into law in 23.
07:47It is already two years, more than two years.
07:51Implement it immediately.
07:53Who is stopping you?
07:55Congress is saying implement it today, everywhere.
08:00You don't want to do that, but you want to tie it up with issues which are so controversial
08:07that the whole impact of this legislation is lost in controversy.
08:15Yes, from 75 onwards, from Mexico, we have fought this matter.
08:23We have fought at every level.
08:27And the Congress has always pioneered this legislation for 33% reservations.
08:36We have never turned back.
08:37I am not talking as a Congresswoman today.
08:40All parties have supported it.
08:44All parties have stood together to pass the bill.
08:49After it is passed, why this controversy?
08:53Why are you going back to 2011, when you yourself said it will only be after the next census?
09:02We had objected to it, but you didn't listen.
09:05Then what happened?
09:07You had a bad dream that 29 wouldn't be good.
09:12What are you trying to prove today by tying up the women's bill with controversial political issues
09:22on which parties are divided?
09:26Definitely.
09:26You are trying to divide the parties on the women's bill by bringing in controversial other legislation
09:38like delimitation and the last census and creating confusion.
09:46Was it needed in the middle of elections when the code of conduct is on?
09:53You are coming up with legislation which is going to, you believe, influence the elections in your favor.
10:03That's my point.
10:04Fair point.
10:04Thank you, Ms. Alba, for joining us this afternoon.
10:09Thank you, ma'am, for joining us.
10:10We are going to get into a good place.
10:11You are welcome.
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