Monsoon session: Women MLAs to get exclusive day to speak up

The assembly has a sanctioned strength of 403 members, among whom only 47 are women. So, the speaker’s move is being welcomed by women members across parties.

The Uttar Pradesh assembly has decided to reserve a day for women public representatives to let them raise issues concerning them, during the Monsoon session that is scheduled to begin on September 19.

Satish Mahana (File photo)

A decision in this regard, which is touted as a major step towards women empowerment, was taken by speaker Satish Mahana after women MLAs, during an interaction, pointed out to him that they did not get appropriate opportunities to speak in the House.

“All women members will be given an opportunity to speak on the issues they want to after the question hour on the specified day,” Mahana said.

The assembly has a sanctioned strength of 403 members, among whom only 47 are women. It has had poor representation in the past too. So, the speaker’s move is being welcomed by women members across parties.

“We live in a patriarchal society and face numerous problems at work. In whatever profession we may be in we face serious problems. This is more so in politics. No one takes women representatives seriously, neither at the government nor at the district administration levels. A decision to have a day reserved for the women members will be a trendsetter. No other state assembly has undertaken such an initiative,” said Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, one of the members who had requested the speaker to allot a separate time slot for women MLAs.

The Samajwadi Party’s Machhlishahar MLA Ragini Sonkar called the decision a great initiative. “We are half of the population. Despite that, we are only 9 per cent of the total number of elected representatives in parliament, the state legislature and local bodies. We are only 47 women MLAs in the state assembly out of 403 members. We are not given due participation in any sphere. As an opposition MLA, I don’t get many opportunities to speak in the House. I am grateful to the Speaker for taking the decision, which is a great step towards women empowerment,” said Sonkar, an ophthalmologist who completed her MD from AIIMS-New Delhi in 2021.

The BJP’s Rae Bareli MLA Aditi Singh called it a much-awaited and much-needed move. “This initiative will ensure that the women members, who otherwise are not able to speak, will get their due and can raise issues. This is certainly a new idea and new approach,” she remarked.

Uttar Pradesh has had the distinction of sending the first woman prime minister late Indira Gandhi to parliament. The state was headed by two women chief ministers--late Sucheta Kripalani and four times by Mayawati. Yet the representation of women in the state assembly has remained poor over the years.