Rajiv: A passionate crusader for women's empowerment

When Jawaharlal Nehru gave the historic call for Purna Swaraj (full independence) from the banks of Ravi in 1929, he could have never imagined that it would be his grandson, 60 years later, who will bring Purna Swaraj nearest to the doorstep of every hamlet of India.

It was in 1989, the birth centenary year of Pandit Nehru, that the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi introduced the Panchayati Raj and the Nagar Palika bills, to strengthen and secure the foundations of parliamentary democracy gifted to the people of India by the founding fathers of the Constitution.

Four years earlier, in December 1985, Rajiv Gandhi had delivered the Congress centenary address at Mumbai where he spelt out his vision of “Build India Movement”.

“The country needs a politics of service to the poor. The country needs a politics based on ideology and programmes. To bring this about we must break the nexus between political parties and vested interests — the power to shape their own lives must lie with the people not with bureaucrats and experts — vibrant village panchayats must discuss, deliberate and decide the choices to be made.”

Rajiv realised that no programme of rural development can ever be truly implemented without active participation of the local people. He made a conscious endeavour to strengthen democracy at the grassroots level by introducing the Panchayath Raj Bill and the Nagar Palika bills. These bills envisaged devolution of power directly to the people alongwith resources and authority to utilise them in a manner they thought the best. This revolutionary measure was obstructed by members of the combined Opposition in the Rajya Sabha after it was passed by the Lok Sabha. However, the bills were passed when the Congress returned to power in 1991. It may be worth recalling that Nehru had to face similar stiff opposition from both within and outside the Congress before he could manage to have the Hindu Code Bill passed in mid-’50s.

The most significant part of the bills (73rd and 74th amendments) was the clause relating to reservation of 33 per cent seats for women. Today, almost two decades and a half later, there are over 2.5 lakhs elected bodies, 32 lakhs elected representatives of which nearly 12 lakhs are women.

Rajiv considered women as the largest disadvantaged class in the country: “Much is said about backward classes and scheduled castes and tribes, but if we put everything together ultimately it is women who need the most help.” Explaining his reasons for doing so Rajiv Gandhi, while introducing the bill in the Lok Sabha, on May 15, 1989 said:

“Women are underprivileged in different ways in different societies. The causes of suppression of women — social, economic and political — are deep within not only Indian culture, but many cultures throughout the world. Violations of human rights of women have varied manifestations. For example, women were not permitted to vote in the US until 1920 (years after American independence).

Therefore, to analyse Rajiv’s concerns for the empowerment of women it may be appropriate to consider the manifestations of the deprivation of women peculiar to Indian society itself. Some of these are illiteracy, dowry system, sati, forced abortion, child marriage and unfair employment practices. Rajiv considered women as the key indicators of economic growth and education. He laid stress on vocational training for women and encouraging more women to join the teaching profession. He said: “Vocational training can be very helpful for the family, for her own standing in the family and, if necessary, for her own independence. Teaching is something that women are good at and we are very short of them. But of course, unless they are educated, we will never get enough teachers — the more women we can get involved, education will be better.” Rajiv wanted women voluntary agencies to help eradicate the evil of dowry which he felt was one of the most serious social problems along with the practice of sati in some areas. The Rajiv Gandhi government initiated many steps in that direction. His government banned the practice, propagation, celebration and glorification of sati, strengthened the legal provision in respect of offence relating to dowry and amended the CRPC to place the onus for proving innocence on the bridegroom and his family in cases of suspected dowry deaths.

Empowerment is a process through which women move from a state of powerlessness to a state of power, evinced in knowledge, information, ownership of assets and position of authority in public. Empowerment thus aims at the elimination of obstacles in the path of women’s equality. The Rajiv Gandhi government concentrated on education, economic activities, both within and beyond panchayati raj institutions, healthcare, legal literacy and mobilisation of women to achieve these goals. Hurdles that came in the way of development of women were identified and removed.

A National Convention for “Integrated Child Development” was held in August 1986 followed by a major programme for empowerment of women called “Women in Development”. A major resolution proposed self-reliance for women and child development for the total population as a whole. State governments were urged to encourage career prospects for women, job satisfaction and child education, specially girl child. Rajiv Gandhi considered women’s education the most crucial element in FP programmes: “We have come to a stage where the only thing that is really going to make a dent is women’s education — women welfare is very crucial part of FP programme. The status of women must be raised in our society — it is a national challenge.”

As a world statesman Rajiv Gandhi’s concern for women empowerment extended to the third world. Women were encouraged to raise their voice for world peace and be the custodians of in times to come. At the NAM summit in Harare in 1986 the young Indian Prime Minister was the most passionate crusader for women empowerment. He called for a full and meaningful participation of women in social, political, economic and cultural life.

Today when thousands of young women have come forward to join the police, paramilitary forces and the armed forces, literally flying high by becoming Air Force and commercial pilots, let us remember Rajiv Gandhi for the opportunities and self-confidence he gave to Indian women. This is the best tribute to a dynamic Prime Minister who left us in the prime of his youth, 26 years ago.

The writer, an ex-Army officer, is a former member of National Commission for Minorities