YOJANA August 2013 51

Political Empowerment of Women: Pathway to Inclusive Democracy

bEST PRACTICES

Madhushree Dasgupta Chatterjee

So, it is need of the hour to come together and to

create opportunity for the people of backward society for the success of

inclusive democracy

n c l u s i v e d e m o c r a c y w o r k s w h e n p e o p l e from all sections of the society are empowered to participate in governance, raise objections, take

decisions and ensure social and political accountability. Such a vision of democracy requires delegation of power from below and a true devolution of power to the common man. The local self-government could be a key to realize the promise of Indian democracy in its true sense which is inclusive nature and character.

The concep t o f ‘ i nc lus ive democracy’ stands for participation of all in the democratic process and ensuring that no one should be left outside that very process. This approach calls for revision of the ways we think and the ways we develop a vision to re-design and re-define the society in which inclusion of the marginalized sections especially women in the political process must be ensured.

Inclusive Democracy is the project for direct political democracy, form of social organization which re-integrates society with economy, polity and nature and it is derived from a synthesis of two major historical traditions: the classical democratic and the socialist. There is an obvious inter-relationship between democracy and human rights which goes beyond mere rights. The

aim of the bridging the gap between the have and havenots demands an inclusive model. This not only involves passing legal measures to promote de-jure equality but also concerns making women feel legitimate and competent to raise their voice at social and political platforms.

So we can say that a vibrant democracy is one towards which works reducing disparities and contain the social tension and anger in certain sections of the society.

For a long time, the Indian society tended to exclude women from political life by defining political activity as a typically male dominated vocation. Tangible progress has been made in the last twenty years towards a more inclusive democracy whereby women and men can enjoy equal and balanced participation in public life. Yet the legacy of this gender division still influences the Indian society and some work remains to be done to promote the amalgamation of women in political activity.

Inclusive democracy works when people from all sections of the society are empowered to participate in governance, raise objections, take decisions and ensure social and political accountability. Such a vision of democracy requires democratization from below to achieve true devolution and delegation of power to the common

I

The Author is with National Technical Research Organization, Govt. of India, New Delhi.

52 YOJANA August 2013

man. Local democratic culture and local self-government would be the most important means to realize the promise of Indian democracy which is inclusive, capable, participatory, accountable and effective direct democracy at the grassroots level. Democratization at the grassroots level requires space for the voices of the poor and marginalized to be heard through networks of social mobi l izat ion. The revival and establishment of three-tier Panchayat Raj System in India was a small step in achieving this objective.

The 73rd Constitutional amendment Act of 1993 has played a significant part in achieving the goal of inclusive democracy in India. With the advent of this Act, India today has more than 500 district panchayats, around 5,100 block and taluka panchayats and about 2,25,000 village panchayats. All these bodies would jointly elect three million representatives and a considerable number of them would be women.

T h e 7 3 r d C o n s t i t u t i o n a l Amendment has also served as the institutional breakthrough towards ensuring equal access and enhanced participation of women in the inclusive democratic process through their participation in the local government at the grassroots level. The 73rd Amendment has greatly contributed to the political empowerment of women from marginalized communities in the rural areas who were not initially very confident of their abilities to assume leadership role at the grassroots level as the male-dominant rural power structure did not budge to lose its traditional grip over the political institutions. Political empowerment for women is regarded as a key driver for achieving the goal of inclusive democracy.

There are many success stories scattered across India where a woman from the marginalized and unprivileged section of the society achieved a position of authority and responsibility realizing the goal of participatory or inclusive democracy.

One such example is thirty-two years old Afsana Perveen who is Mukhiya of Damodarpur village panchayat Samiti of Kanti block of Muzaffarpur district in Bihar. Afsana Perveen who was first time elected to the Damodarpur village panchayat in 2010 confessed that “as women have participated in the functioning of panchayat, importance of women and child development as well as health and education has gained centrestage. Secondary school pass out Afsana Perveen believed that reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions as a result of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment has been successful. She stated that once upon a time women used to interact with the people behind

the door (purda) but now they are sitting on position of responsibility and authority, going outside to inspect the schools, monitoring development works done under Central Government sponsored schemes such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). While performing her duty in the household work, she also attends the meetings and projects for the development of the society and addresses the grievances of not only the women but also of men. But Afsana Perveen confessed that it was not easy for her and has been made possible with the backing and support of her husband, Pervez Alam.

Afsana, mother of three children said that women representatives at the grassroots level face a lot of handicap in discharging their duty and responsibilities. This proved to be a major stumbling block in the way of their effective participation in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). These impediments could be illiteracy, attitudes of family members, bureaucracy and community and last but not the least, ignorance about the procedural aspects of their work. The example of Afsana in the orthodox society of Damodorpur village is an exceptional example of women participation because there are many other women representatives in the Panchayat Samiti and gram panchayat but most of them refuse to talk or share their story due to the purdah system. Most of them work on behalf of their husbands and example of proxy participation. Such impediments obstruct the way which leads to achieving the objective of inclusive democracy. The very purpose of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) that is democratic in nature, needs to be straightened in the pursuit of making these institutions more purposeful for the masses for which these basic units of democracy were envisioned and established.

If a country aspires to be an inclusive democracy in true sense it will have to empower its women belonging to different stratum of its society. Although Indian women acquired voting rights along with men and the right to contest elections from village-level to the Parliament, they still remain an un-empowered lot. Apart from this we can witness exclusion of women from the inclusive democracy in the frame of proxy participation where they work as a rubber stamp and their male partners work on behalf of them. So, it is need of the hour to come together and to create opportunity for the people of backward society for the success of inclusive democracy. q

(Email:dr.madhushreechatterjee@gmail.com)

The 73rd Amendment has greatly contributed to the political empowerment of women from marginalized

communities in the rural areas who were not initially very confident of their abilities

to assume leadership role at the grassroots level as the

male-dominant rural power structure did not budge to lose

its traditional grip over the political institutions. Political empowerment for women is regarded as a key driver for

achieving the goal of inclusive democracy.