‘Because the judge is a woman…’, becoming an accused-witness herself is a threat to democracy’, CM Rekha Gupta’s attack on Kejriwal
In the one-day special session of Delhi Assembly, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta made a scathing attack on the opposition. Regarding the issue of women’s reservation, he said that it was because of the opposition’s “anti-women thinking” that women in the country could not get their rights for a long time. During his address, the CM also raised direct questions on Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal. He criticized Kejriwal’s decision of not appearing before Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma and linked it to disrespect towards women. Rekha Gupta said that she sees Kejriwal’s “anti-women face” in this whole matter. He also alleged that since the judge is a woman and will give the verdict in an impartial manner, Kejriwal is trying to bypass the process.
He said that a sacred word like “Satyagraha” was being misused, whereas it was this ideology that got the country independence. While commenting, he mentioned Mahatma Gandhi and said that even he would have been pained by such an experiment today. Without taking names, the Chief Minister targeted Arvind Kejriwal and said that such statements and behavior are against democratic values. He alleged that under the “my will” mentality, some people consider themselves above the law and try to avoid the judicial process.
The Chief Minister said that if a person himself starts becoming accused, witness, lawyer and judge, then it is a very dangerous sign for democracy. He clarified that only the judiciary has the right to do justice and the truth comes out through that process. The CM said that some political parties are trying to mislead the public, but the results of the work done will be visible eventually. He also indicated that no one is above the law and judicial system. During this, he expressed sympathy towards Atishi and said that the conditions under which she is working are very difficult.
The Chief Minister underlined the initiative of the Central Government on the issue of women’s reservation and raised questions on the role of the opposition. He said that the Center has taken a big step towards ensuring 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies through the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023’. CM said that for this, the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill was also presented, so that women can get the benefit of political representation as soon as possible. He said that this step is going to give a new direction to women empowerment in the country.
However, he described April 16, 17 and 18 as a “sad chapter” in the history of Indian democracy, saying that during these days, women across the country were watching the proceedings of the Lok Sabha with hope. They were confident that the long wait of 78 years would end and they would get proper representation in the Parliament and Legislative Assemblies. According to the Chief Minister, the discussions held these days disappointed the expectations of women. He alleged that due to political differences and the stance of the opposition, the expected progress could not be made on the issue of women’s reservation.
Why is women’s reservation important?
The Chief Minister said that women’s reservation is necessary because women have to face more obstacles and challenges in the society than men. In such a situation, equal rights alone are not enough, but only special provisions can provide them real equal opportunities. CM said that it is through reservation and public support that he himself got the opportunity to serve the public, which shows the usefulness of this system. He also said that a large number of women are getting elected in Panchayat and local bodies, but when it comes to Assembly and Parliament, their participation remains very less. According to the Chief Minister, only about 10 percent of the 4600 MLAs in the country are women, while their share in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is only about 13-14 percent. Describing this as a clear indication of lack of opportunities, he said that this imbalance can be removed only through women’s reservation.
‘Got rights, didn’t get opportunities’
The Chief Minister said that the Constitution definitely gave women equal rights and opportunity to contest elections, but this alone did not allow them to progress in politics. According to her, at a practical level, women did not get adequate political opportunities for a long time. CM said that the Women’s Reservation Bill was presented in Parliament seven times in the last 27 years, but every time it was stopped due to some reason or the other. She alleged that many political parties created obstacles in this and kept the role of women limited.
The Chief Minister said that while other parties created obstacles, BJP worked to provide opportunities to women to move forward. He also stressed that increasing women’s representation is not possible just by giving rights, but it requires concrete policy steps and special provisions like reservation. CM said in his address that after the year 2014, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, comprehensive changes have been seen towards the empowerment of women. Referring to several major government schemes, he said that these have improved the living standards of women and helped them become self-reliant. According to the Chief Minister, Swachh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and nutrition related schemes have made the daily life of women easier. He said that through these initiatives, women have not only got basic facilities but have also got the opportunity to become economically stronger, due to which they are playing a more powerful role in the society.
Bill stopped due to technical reasons
He said that the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023’ by the Prime Minister is a historic step towards giving 33 percent reservation to women. CM said that implementation of this law may take time due to technical processes like delimitation. Keeping this in mind, the government proposed necessary amendments to implement it soon. However, according to him, the opposition parties tried to create obstacles in the way of this bill on the basis of technical issues. Calling it an attempt to deprive women of their rights, the Chief Minister said that this issue is not limited to just one bill, but is related to the rights and dignity of half of the country’s population. He also said that it is not easy for any male representative to give up his seat and give opportunity to a woman. Keeping this reality in mind, a format was proposed in which 33 percent reservation for women could be ensured by increasing the number of seats.
Questions on the arguments of the opposition
He said that it is beyond comprehension why the opposition had any objection to the proposal which took into account the interests of all parties. The CM alleged that the opposition parties neglected the interests of women, while the same women voted them to power. He said that some parties talk about the interests of Muslim women, but history is witness to the fact that when the Supreme Court gave a decision in favor of women in Shah Bano case, Rajiv Gandhi’s government overturned that decision by making a law, which affected the rights of Muslim women.
The Chief Minister also said that the opposition did not give clear support even on the issue of abolishing triple talaq. He alleged that the opposition’s stand on the issue of women’s rights has always been vague and contradictory. The CM also raised questions on the demand for “quota within quota” in the context of OBC women, saying that it was presented only as an excuse, whereas earlier no concrete efforts were made in this direction. He said that attempts were made to delay the bill on the basis of various technical and political issues like number of seats, delimitation and regional balance.
Attack on insensitive thinking towards women
He said that from time to time many leaders have made disrespectful and objectionable statements towards women, which expose their attitudes. In his address, the CM referred to the earlier comments of leaders like Digvijay Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Azam Khan and said that such statements reflect their “distorted thinking”. He further said that the statements of not only male leaders but also some women leaders have been disappointing. In this context, he referred to the alleged statements of Mamata Banerjee and Priyanka Gandhi and said that such comments bring out contradictions. The Chief Minister said that the society, especially the women of the country, never forgets such behavior and thinking. He stressed that women’s respect is not just a political issue but a social responsibility, and all parties should work seriously on it.
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