Women's group launches agitation over reservation bill

The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) Tuesday launched a 21-day agitation demanding that the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill be expedited in parliament, following rising crimes against women in the country.

The pending Bill proposes to reserve 33.3 percent seats in parliament and state legislatures for women.

Flagged off by social activist Aruna Roy and Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed at Jantar Mantar, the agitation will continue till Dec 16.

It intends to drive home the point that any further delay in the Bill will cost all parties in elections - both at the state and national level - dearly.

"We want the prime minister to show that his concerns for women are not just in thought, but in deed as well.

"Nothing can demonstrate this better than by ensuring the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the penultimate parliament session," said NFIW general secretary Annie Raja.

The agitation aims to address various issues related to violence against women and will also give a platform to women from various states to share their perspective on it.

The issues discussed Tuesday included structural violence, specifically land rights, employment, food and water security.

Raja said the matter pertaining to women's right to land is essentially linked to the question of reservation.

"While a majority of women in this country are engaged in agriculture, they own less than four percent land holdings. This issue also does not find much discussion in the Parliament, as there are so few women representatives to speak on the same," she said.