Bills of the same fate

The chequered histories of the Lokpal bill and the Women’s Reservation Bill are strikingly similar. Both were hailed as landmark legislation and endorsed by the political class and media alike. Every time there was a move to introduce these bills in Parliament, words like “momentous’’ and “historic’’ were bandied about. Yet, curiously, the bills could not become law. Small wonder then that there is widespread cynicism about the real intentions of politicians. Interestingly, in both cases, the issue of quotas for minorities was the ostensible cause for deflecting the debate.

Read Full Story>>