‘Women in politics will have negative impact on society’
By IANSSaturday, May 22, 2010
PANAJI - If women start pursuing politics, it will have a negative impact on society, Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said Saturday.
He also made snide remarks on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s landmark women’s quota bill that seeks to reserve 33 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies for women.
Commenting on the legislation, which, according to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was the dream of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Kamat, while addressing a women’s convention in the city, said: “If women start pursuing politics, then it will have a negative impact on the society”.
The audience primarily comprised women and also included Marathi actress Varsha Usgaonkar, who is a native of Goa.
“Don’t fall for 33 per cent reservation (in politics). Politics makes you go crazy. Women play an important role in transforming the society. We should look after our next generation,” Kamat said.
Kamat, who has recently faced flak from the Congress high command for calling Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi his best friend, has also attracted the ire of women environment activists in the state.
The five women activists who had gone to meet Kamat on a scheduled grievance day - when members of the public have open access to the chief minister - to discuss unplanned real estate development in the state were dismissed by Kamat, who said he “does not need their votes”.
–Indo Asian News Service
