Aiyar's Nomination to Rajya Sabha - a welcome move

The news that Mani Shankar Aiyar, the intellectual-politician has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha, made me ecstatic.

I hail from Porayar in Mayiladuthurai constituency from where Aiyar was elected to the Lok Sabha during 1991, 99 and 2004. In the 1998 elections, when Aiyar contested as an independent following difference of opinion with the then Congress president Sitaram Kesari, I was one among the hundreds of youths who rallied behind him. Though he lost the elections, he had garnered over 77,000 votes on his own.

My father, being a senior Journalist, had very close interactions with Aiyar.

I can definitely say that Aiyar was certainly the best MP we have ever seen. He nurtured the constituency very well since 1991, the year of his political debut. Even his opponents admit that he has resorted to honest politics all along.

The specialty of Aiyar was that he moved very close to common men. Even when he served as Union Panchayati Raj Minister, anyone could approach him anytime. Not only that, people could easily confront him.

I remember an incident, when my father once publicly questioned him what steps he had taken to remove the anomalies in telephone rentals in our area. My father's questions were harsh, but Aiyar tackled them nonchalantly. Even after that incident, Aiyar never bore any grudge against my father. He gave him interviews as usual, came to our house during his election campaign and treated him with all kindness.

His Services to Mayiladuthurai through the MPLADS scheme - road laying, contribution for hospital and school buildings, community halls, bus shelters, crematorium sheds and his industrialisation efforts, service to the tsunami survivors and Kumbakonam fire victims, rural development through the Rural Business Hub scheme were also simply great.

It is quite unfortunate that he lost the elections (2009) at a time when the Congress party has emerged much stronger. Though he has lost the elections, he has won hearts.

Aiyar was adjudged one among the best performing ministers in the previous UPA Government. He has indisputably been an outstanding parliamentarian.

Moreover, he never feared to speak his mind. He had great plans for the 'Aam Aadhmi' and was certainly a humane Minister.

Aiyar's works during the past five years as Union Minister in charge of Petroleum, Panchayati Raj, Sports and Youth Affairs and North Eastern States Development have been phenomenal.

Recognising his past services, Prime Minister Dr Singh should re-induct him to the cabinet allocating the same Panchayati Raj and DoNER ministries, in National Interest.

Women Reservation Bill - A Retrograde Step

Until the 'black Tuesday' (Mar 9), I was thinking that Women's reservation bill was something which would never come into reality. Alas, it has been passed in the upper house with a thumping majority.

Not even a single political party in the country is truly interested in bringing this legislation. They are paying lip-service only aiming at garnering votes. The political parties are trying to paint a picture as if the position of women will dramatically improve through this legislation.

What will be the outcome of this bill?

There will be 180+ women MPs and roughly 1500+ women MLAs in the country. I wonder what sort of change this legislation could bring to the womenfolk. Can 180 women MPs and 1500 women MLAs make the lives of women a heaven on earth?

This legislation curtails the legitimate rights of menfolk to contest the elections. As rightly pointed out by the editorial of leading Tamil Daily Dinamani, there are many persons like Union Minister Kamalnath and Basudev Acharya of CPM who have been winning from their constituencies consecutively for the past 8 or 9 elections. They will lose their very right to contest as their constituencies are likely to be reserved for women.

Similarly, I know of a young DMK MLA - AMH Nazeem of Karaikal, a rare breed in politics, who has been winning from the same constituency for the past 6 times. He nurtures the constituency so well that people would like to elect him again and again. If the constituency is reserved for women, people will lose their right to elect a service-minded man.

We can accept the caste-based reservation to some extent as it seeks to make corrections for past discrimination. But, gender-based reservation is untenable.

This bill is definitely against the basic structure of Indian Constitution, which assures equality of opportunity for all and opposes gender-based discrimination. This bill should be challenged in the Supreme Court under the provisions of Judicial Review. This is totally unconstitutional and retrograde.

In Tamil Nadu, there is 33 per cent reservation for women even in Government appointments. I lost selection to the post of Deputy Collector in Group-I services exam due to this horizontal reservation for women. For a moment, imagine the pain it has caused to me. Losing selection to someone in the same category with less marks just because she was a woman!(I do not oppose the bill just because of the personal loss I suffered).

I am at a loss to understand what prevents women from achieving the pinnacle of success. Even without reservation scores of women like Indira Gandhi, Sonia, Mayawati, Jayalalitha, Brinda Karat, Shiela Dixit, Sushma Swaraj, Mamta, Jayanthi Natarajan, Kanimozhi, Prathiba Devi Singh Patel and others could shine. Why then reserve seats?

I would be very glad if the bill gets defeated in the Lok Sabha or if someone challenges it in the Supreme Court.