No women rights by destroying democracy: Sharad Joshi
Press Trust of India / New Delhi Mar 10, 2010, 19:01 IST
Sharad Joshi, the lone Rajya Sabha member who voted against the Women's Reservation Bill, today said he would not like women rights to be given by destroying democracy.
"I would not like women rights to be given by destroying democracy," Sharad Joshi of the Swatantra Bharat Paksha said.
He said the Shwetkari Sangathan, a body of farmers to which he belonged, championed the cause of women but the Bill in the present form was not proper as it would not lead to empowerment of women but destroy democracy.
While 186 votes went in favour of the Bill in the Upper House yesterday, only Sharad Joshi voted against it.
The veteran leader of the farmers said many MPs from all parties congratulated him for voting against the Bill but did not reveal the name of such parliamentarians.
Joshi, who is against any form of reservation, said the country should adopt the proportional representation system to give representation to all sections, including women.
Joshi also said he had suggested a measure by which more than 33 per cent women can be given representation in Lok Sabha and the state assemblies.
Every political party should prepare a list of its MPs and elections held in the country. If a party gets 30 per cent of the total votes cast, it should get 30 per cent representation of MPs in Parliament, he suggested.
"The parties should be free to choose its MPs from any caste or community," Joshi said, adding that in such a scenario there cannot be any particular constituency for an MP but will have an entire country to choose from.
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