Activists released a manifesto for women on Wednesday and appealed to political parties to endorse it as well as ensure that at least 33% of party tickets are given to women during the Lok Sabha election.
Their 44-point list of demands includes free sanitary napkins, free treatment for survivors of sexual assault and acid attack, criminalisation of marital rape, land deed in the joint names of wife and husband, among others.
Women’s rights activists also urged the Election Commission (EC) to bring about electoral reforms to encourage participation of women in politics. “The EC must make it mandatory for parties to have at least 33% women members so that political parties with fewer women can be de-registered,” said Padmini Kumar from the Joint Women’s Program at a press conference. Other organisations present included the Centre for Social Research and Women Power Connect.
Ms. Kumar added that it had made at least four representations to the EC on the issue in the past five years.
Reservation Bill
They also criticised the government for failing to introduce the Women’s Reservation Bill despite enjoying a majority in the Lok Sabha. The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, 2008, also known as the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 and needs to be passed by the Lok Sabha before it can become a law. The BJP’s manifesto for the 2014 election promised the passage of the Bill.
The current Lok Sabha has 66 women MPs of the total 542 MPs. The number of women has increased merely three-fold since the first Lok Sabha in 1951 when there were 22 women MPs.