Women in Cong to get 33% quota
Despite the Women’s Reservation Bill in limbo, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has decided to give 33 per cent reservation to women in the organisation after her re-election as the party president for the fourth time.
She has directed the concerned to ensure that women should get 33 per cent representation in almost all bodies — from state units to the AICC — this time. Pradesh Congress Committees have also been asked to see that its executive committee and number of office-bearers should be compact, well-placed sources said here on Tuesday. The message is loud and clear. The Congress wants to increase women participation in active politics which would certainly reflect in the state legislature and Parliament. Its “women card” could check BSP president Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, respectively.
The Congress managers who are currently busy in the organisational election, including the election of the AICC and PCC delegates, are in search of women workers. They plan to complete the process by November 2, that is before the AICC meeting being held in New Delhi. “Besides women, we are also told that the SC, ST and OBCs should get ‘proper’ representation in different bodies of the party,” a senior Congress leader and the CWC member said. While Ms Sheila Dikshit is the only women chief minister the Congress has across the country, Ms Vidya Stokes and Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal are the CLP leaders in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Women representation in the erstwhile CWC was just two. They were Ms Ambika Soni and Ms Mohsina Kidwai. Ms Rita Bahuguna Joshi (Uttar Pradesh) is the only PCC chief from the women category. The Women’s Reservation Bill got passed in the Rajya Sabha but the government has not been able to place it in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passage because of the stiff opposition not by the Mandalite parties but even the BJP is not backing it fully. On the other hand, some of the UPA allies are opposing the bill suggesting a quota within a quota in it.
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