Women’s reservation will mean more sensitive politics: Brinda Karat

NEW DELHI - Women’s reservation in the national parliament and state legislatures will change the country’s culture by breaking stereotypes and usher in an era of “sensitive politics”, Brinda Karat, leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, said in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday.

Offering her party’s support to the historic bill, Karat said: “The bill will change (the country’s political) culture because women today are still caught in a culture prison. In the name of tradition, stereotypes are imposed and we have to fight these everyday.”

“These stereotypes will also be broken (by the bill),” she said after the constitution amendment bill had been put to vote by Chairman Hamid Ansari.

“However, a woman is not a superwoman, so things will not change overnight. Please don’t expect them to prove themselves or to do wonders. I do believe that their entry will surely make for more sensitive politics. It’s a critical mass that will affect policy,” Karat emphasised.

She also added that the bill will ensure that women of all classes and castes will benefit from it.

“The women’s reservation bill will ensure that women of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, poor women and Muslim women will benefit from it,” Karat said.