Women's Bill: organisations to offer dharna from Aug 2

New Delhi, July 31 (UNI) Ten women's organisations would offer a three-day dharna from August 2 in front of Parliament to press for taking up the Women's Reservation Bill, hanging fire for long, All India Democratic Women's Association general secretary Sudha Sundararaman said today.

The 84th Constitution Amendment Bill, 1998 seeks to grant 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and legislatures. It has remained stalled following the demand for more reservations. The Bill has no provision for reservation, other than those for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

Talking to reporters, Ms Sundararaman regretted that though all political parties had extended their support to the Bill, first mooted in 1996, it was yet to be passed even after a decade.

She accused the previous BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government of having paid only lip service to the Bill and not making an honest attempt to pass it during their regime "under the well-worn excuse of no consensus". The Bill was brought in on the last day of the Parliament session in a "deceitful strategy" to prevent any substantial discussion, she alleged.

Its successor United Progressive Alliance Government has now completed more than two years in an office. However, in spite of its promise in the national common minimum programme, this Government was also adopting the same tactics of continuous postponement, she added.

The women's organisations in the proposed dharna include the AIDWA, All India Women's Conference (AIWC), Centre for Women's Development Studies (CWDS) and National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW).

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