The All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice president Sonia Gandhi had recently shot a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to push legislation for reserving one third seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures. It was meant to push gender equality, but ironically things have gone against her ideals in Rajasthan. The new panel of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), that was announced after holding organisational election, has merely 12% female representation.
As per the list released by the party, out of 358 members only 41 female leaders were taken on the board after implementing time consuming election process by the teams of Block Returning Officers (BRO) and District Returning Officers (DRO) that went on for several weeks. The overall ratio puts one female leader against nine males in the panel, thus giving males an upper hand in deciding party affairs while keeping females on the back foot. This off-balance is in sharp contrast to the concept of more women representation in party and Parliament that the party head Sonia Gandhi had always advocated.
The party sources revealed that despite stress on woman empowerment a deliberate attempt is made to keep the ratio of female representation ‘limited’ . With mutual understanding among senior part leaders the names of new members are sealed in the envelope behind closed door meetings. Therefore, the heavy weights who are the symbol of dynasty and nepotism have been made the part of the panel while the commoners have been sidelined.
The list of new female members include Rama Pilot (mother of RPCC head Sachin Pilot), Resham Malviya (wife of Mahendra Jeet Malviya), Dr Girija Vyas (ex-RPCC president), Divya Maderana and Leela Maderana (daughter and wife of Mahipal Maderna respectively) and Rajbala Ola (wife of Brijendra Ola).
The party has given assurance of increasing the female ratio soon. Archana Sharma, media chairperson of the state Congress, said, “We still have to elect PCC members from Ajmer, Alwar and Mandalgarh parliamentary constituency. When new members from these constituencies will be added the representation will be increased too.”
KNITTING A PLOY
- A meeting was convened at the residence of general secretary of AICC and Rajasthan congress incharge Avinash Pandey to discuss the strategy for the upcoming by-poll in Ajmer, Alwar and Mandalgarh parliamentary constituencies. PCC president Sachin Pilot and leader of the opposition Rameshwer Dudi were present in the meeting. The party sources revealed that poll strategy was primarily discussed in the meet while there was no discussion on probable candidates.
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