Women take centre stage in Bihar Assembly, seek higher representation

Bihar was the first state to give a 50 per cent quota for women in the panchayats.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on Monday, Bihar Legislative Assembly witnessed woman legislators cutting across party lines and raising their demand for increased participation of 33 per cent in the state Assembly as well as Lok Sabha.

Bihar assembly. (File photo)

Bihar was the first state to give a 50 per cent quota for women in the panchayats. Some women members stated it was high time for the state to allow a 50 per cent quota for women in the legislative bodies to add meaning to the slogan of equality in society.

The women's reservation bill has been pending in Parliament for nearly a decade and a half.

As soon as the House assembled, Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha congratulated the woman legislators and spoke about the big strides women have made in different fields. Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary suggested that women be given greater opportunity to ask questions and preside in the second half o the women’s day as a mark of respect. He said the kind of work the Bihar government has done for women empowerment is an example for not only the country but is also appreciated across the world.

With the woman legislator empanelled in the list of presiding officers absent at that time, the senior-most member present in the House, Gayatri Devi, was asked to preside in the second half. Though several women legislators were not present in the House, all their questions were taken up first out of turn and most of the questions were addressed to the home department.

Women legislators also took the lead from both treasury and opposition benches to participate in an engrossing debate. All the parties gave an opportunity to them. While the treasury benches lauded the state government’s achievements in providing a 50 per cent quota in panchayats and teachers’ recruitment and 35 per cent in government jobs, the Opposition countered it with issues of women safety and corruption. The woman legislators said that the females needed to get the equality they deserve and it should not be lost in sheer symbolism.

While RJD woman legislators lauded the Bihar government’s move for 50 per cent quota in panchayat bodies, others pointed out that there were just two women in the Nitish cabinet - one each from the JD-U and the BJP - and reminded that it was the RJD that gave Bihar the first woman CM as Rabri Devi.

In the present Vidhan Sabha, the number of women legislators dropped to 26 (10.2 per cent) from 28 (11 per cent) last time. In 2010, the number of woman legislators was 34 (14 per cent), the highest representation in the last seven decades. The disconcerting trend is that in the last two Vidhan Sabha elections, it has been declining despite a lot of hype about women’s empowerment, their greater participation at the panchayat level and higher voter turnout in elections than male counterparts.

Congress MLA Neetu Kumari drew the attention of the government towards the lack of basic amenities like toilets at public places, bus stands, markets and block offices. “I urge the government to not only look into the matter but also implement it. This will be a gift to all women,” she added.

Rural development minister Shravan Kumar, during the government’s reply on his department’s budgetary demand, which was passed by the Assembly, accepted the demand and said the government would build toilets at public places as several woman legislators have demanded.

“Nitish government is committed to women’s empowerment and several schemes and quota for women in this regard are a testimony to this. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, Jeevika Didis made masks for the people and now they will also make school dresses for children to make their financial inclusion a reality. The women have been actively involved in village governance and economic activities due to the Nitish government’s initiatives,” he added.