A hollow election promise
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: March 29, 2014 -

Empowerment of women is a mantra that every political party with a flag and symbol always loves to chant during election time and they provide enough spaces in their respective election manifestoes to highlight the measures to be taken up for empowering women, if they were elected to power.

However, empowering women politically by ensuring their participation in the election, not just in canvassing but as strong contenders, is something that all these political parties have always shied away from.

In the ensuing election to the 16th Lok Sabha too, we have only two women candidates in the fray, one contesting for the reserved seat of Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency against 9 male candidates and the other pitted against 7 male candidates for the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, which is a general seat.

Of the two women candidates, Kim Gangte, who had been earlier elected to the Lok Sabha on CPI ticket, has been fielded by All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) without not much of a problem by virtue of her political experience as well as being the president of the State unit of the party while Indira Oinam has entered the fray as an independent candidate after her expectation of getting the ticket of BJP was shattered as it was finally given in a favour of a male candidate.

This is despite the fact that BJP has promised to reserve 33 percent of the seats for women in ADCs, Assemblies and Parliament in its election manifesto.

Leaving aside the issues of other political parties in the fray, the ruling Indian National Congress (INC) party, which has been dreaming to see women Chief Ministers in half of Indian States for the last two terms has also come up with yet another round of assurance to accord top priority to the passing of the stalled Women's Reservation Bill if it retains power this time as well.

But at the time of choosing the candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha election to the two Parliamentary seats in the State, the party has settled on its two sitting male MPs as the best bet rather than compromising its position by giving a chance to any aspiring woman candidates.

All these double-standards of the political parties when it comes to allowing women to participate in politics actively, not just as mere canvassers but as strong contenders, has shown that the slogan of women empowerment is not just so hollow but it has also been conveniently overused as tool for electioneering.

Extending maximum benefits to women at the time of job opportunities, development of fast tract court for women, promotion of Co-operative movement for women, etc, which the BJP has promised or the assurances of Congress for setting up 'One Stop Crisis Centres' for women in all hospitals, ensuring all police stations to have at least 25 percent women staffers and passing a Citizens' Charter for Women's Safety, etc, are all well and good.

But the talk and promise of reserving seats for women in the Parliament or the Assemblies would remain meaningless as long as the political parties continue to nurture their deep aversion towards the idea of giving proper space to women for playing in the field of politics along aside their male counterparts.