INDIA: The Women’s Reservation Bill controversy appears to be waning, as Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui claimed that only women with bob-cut hair and those wearing lipstick would be allowed to attend Parliament after the bill’s implementation.
The bill, which aims to reserve 33% of the seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women, was submitted by the BJP-led NDA Government and has received the assent of the President of India.
During a recent party event in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district on September 29th, an RJD leader advocated for a sub-quota within the Women’s Reservation Bill. He stated that the current bill would not guarantee representation of all segments of women in society and that it would only benefit privileged women—that is, women who wear lipstick and powder—akin to the stance taken by former socialist leader Sharad Yadav.
Yadav had previously expressed concerns that if the bill became law, women with short hair would dominate the legislature and used the term ‘parkati mahilayen’ to refer to them.
“If reservation is to be given to women, then provide reservation for backward and extremely backward women as well. Allocate a quota for extremely backward women too. Then it would be fine,” the RJD leader said, asserting that the new bill will only help women who wear lipstick and powder and have short hair, or what he called bob-cut hair.
When questioned by the Republic, RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui justified his controversial comments about women. He stated that the rally he addressed in Muzaffarpur primarily consisted of rural attendees, and he used local slang to connect better with his audience.
“In that rally, hundreds of rural women were there… I used that language to explain to the rural women in their language. My intention was not to hurt anyone… If someone is hurt, I express regret… It was a gathering of extremely backward classes, and I was teaching them… RJD had been in support of Women’s Reservation since the beginning…” Siddiqui said.
Siddiqui is not the first leader to make such offensive remarks about women’s reservations; in fact, some political leaders in the past have opposed the Women’s Reservation Bill due to blatant misogyny.
The late Mulayam Singh, the patriarch of the Samajwadi Party, vehemently opposed women’s reservation, suggesting that having more women in Parliament would lead to increased incidents of harassment and eve-teasing. He also insinuated that the benefits of the Women Reservation Bill would primarily go to women from affluent backgrounds, implying that poor and rural women wouldn’t benefit.
Yadav even claimed that the introduction of the bill was a conspiracy against leaders who had earned their place in Parliament through hard work.
Socialist leader Sharad Yadav was far ahead of him in opposing the concept, having sworn in the Lok Sabha to take his own life to stop the bill from passing without providing a reservation for Dalits and other backward classes.
In 1997, when the Deve Gowda government introduced the bill, Sharad Yadav controversially remarked that if the bill became law, women with short hair would dominate the legislature.
“Kaun mahila hai, kaun nahin hai, keval par kati mahila bhar nahin rahne denge (Who is a woman, who is not, only short-haired women won’t be allowed),” said Sharad Yadavs, asserting that the bill would exclusively help well-off women.
While political leaders and parties have learned to adapt their ideologies to meet changing political demands, remarks like those made by RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddique undermine the case for a Women’s Reservation Bill.
Also Read: Amit Shah Commends Passage of Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha
