Kochi: Women’s Reservation Bill may get implemented soon. But, is that enough to ensure women’s issues are addressed and they get amply represented?

In a lively interaction among Kerala's women MLAs K K Shailaja and K K Rema, and BJP state vice-president Sobha Surendran on the ‘Manifesto of Representation’, the main point was what matters more to ensure women’s issues were addressed.

From the thoughts on the first decisions to take if they become Kerala’s chief minister, reasons for Kerala not having a lady CM yet, issues like women’s entry in Sabarimala, banned practices like sati, to the Israel-Palestine conflict, the panellists touched upon a variety of matters at the Manorama News Conclave 2023.

“Kerala has talented women who are ready to be Chief Ministers,” said K K Shailaja, who also added that alone won’t help. “What will matter is what she represents, and what’s her ideology. If her attitude is not right, no point that she is a woman,” she said. Though she agreed with Shailaja, K K Rema opined that it would still be a big step in the right direction. “In this patriarchal system, sometimes they bring women to influential positions – even that of President, but ensure women don’t get to make decisions. Talented women are used to getting votes, but not given the positions they deserve,” added Rema, who said in the current set-up, women will get opportunities only with the reservation.

But, why wait for the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill to give women the seats? The panel actively discussed the question as the trio voiced their thoughts. When Sobha Surendran said, “The 33 per cent reservation is a big responsibility on the shoulders of all political parties and they can’t escape from it now on,” Shailaja said, “I doubt whether it will be implemented well, regardless. If that’s the intention, why wait for its implementation in future elections and delimitation? That’s when we feel this is just used for slogans for elections.”

While all these steps are taken, are women still forced to be ‘thankful’ to the men in the parties for the opportunities they get and are they deciding the extent of women’s growth? K K Shailaja said she hasn’t experienced such a scenario, but Sobha Surendran revealed that she has.

“In my personal experience, there was a stage when I wondered whether I should continue working and cried away in a locked room at home. But, it’s my sons who urged me to think ‘that’s not fair'.” Rema also said that women’s reactions are also often tagged ‘emotional.’ K K Shailaja’s recent opinion on the Israel-Hamas conflict, where she tagged Hamas as terrorists, was also discussed on the stage. Shailaja clarified, “While I understand the predicament of Palestinians, what I intended was to voice against the cruelty faced by women, children and war prisoners. Left has always expressed solidarity with Palestinians and that’s the party’s stand now too.”

The panellists also discussed the issue of women's entry to Sabarimala, sati and the ancient Manusmriti verses on women. While Sobha Surendran opined that women were against the Supreme Court’s Sabarimala verdict because it was a religious issue, Shailaja quoted the example of how women protested against the banning of the evil practice of sati in the 1800s, saying the ban didn’t let them get the blessing of being Sati Devis. “Shobha’s stand on this matter in itself is proof enough that having women as representatives alone won’t help the cause of women,” said Shailaja.