LET US TURN HISTORY INTO HERSTORY!
Dear friends,
Time has come to turn history into Herstory and Herstory is being written in India with the launching of the first ever all women political party, the Womanist Party of India (WPI). A new PURPLE colour is all set to beautify the political horizon of the largest democracy in the world.
We, the women from Maharashtra, one of the leading states of India, have formed our own party with the aim of getting a foothold in the hitherto male bastion-politics. As in childbirth, the inception of women’s party will also involve pain, labour and risk. However, being women, we have decided to take on this challenge for the sake of the whole of society and humanity.
We have decided to contest the forthcoming parliamentary and state legislative elections on our own strength and field our candidates in each constituency within Maharashtra. Even before the formal declaration of the party, we have developed a strong support base in some parts of rural Maharashtra. After the formal declaration, we have received a massive response from the women for our membership recruitment drive, which has been launched on the first of November 2003. We have set a target of registering five hundred thousand members within a year in Maharashtra alone. The state-wide party convention will be organised in April 2004 to decide about the long-term programme and policies of the party in a participatory manner.
INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
When we took this decision, we were not aware of some of the recent world-wide developments in women’s movement, as most of us belong to farming caste background and not exactly a part of elite women’s liberation groups. However, now we can see, what we were doing, was not an isolated phenomenon but was in tune with the trend that has been taking shape since the late nineties, all over the world. In countries such as Belarus, Australia, Greece, Russia, Philippines and Cambodia, women either have attempted or have formed separate political parties to contest elections. In several countries, NGOs and women’s groups are championing for increasing women’s participation in electoral politics and educating women voters. These bold initiatives are commendable and need strengthening. They showcase, not only a growing realisation about the need of a separate women’s party amongst women world over, but also the emergence of women as a new political entity. Womanist Party of India (WPI) is the third autonomous women’s party in Asia and presumably within the first ten in the world. We commit ourselves to build alliances with these political initiatives taken up by women all over the world to forge international unity and solidarity of women.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
India is the largest and one of the vibrant democracies in the world. It has seen an eruption of different political identities and forces in the recent past. Indian society as a whole is in turmoil with the growing political aspirations of different social groups. A closer analysis of socio-political situation suggests that women are poised to emerge as a new claimant of greater political representation in the near future. This will have a far-reaching effect, not only on India polity, but also on the world.
RATIONALE BEHIND THE FORMATION OF THE PARTY
The decision to form an autonomous women’s political party, however, was not taken on the basis of mere ethical and humanitarian grounds, though they are quite strong. This decision was a natural outcome of realisation after years of frustration and disillusionment from the mainstream political parties in India. In all these years after independence, what women got was only rhetoric and unfulfilled promises. Women are now sick of the rhetoric and they do want action. They want it for themselves and for the society. They want to achieve true political equality. Existing political parties are not genuinely interested in and not capable of absorbing the growing aspirations of women in India. This can be seen from the way various parties play with the issue of women’s reservation in parliament and the way they treat women aspirants while allotting tickets for elections.
The present situation in India offers the opportunity for a large number of powerless rural women to enter active local governance at its basic level and become partners in the developmental process. For many years, rural politics has remained in the hands of few local influential persons or local politicians. Nevertheless, the 73rd Constitutional Amendment reserves one-third of the total seats for women in the local bodies. This makes it possible for women to contest the local elections and participate in the village Governance. In Maharashtra State itself, more than one hundred thousand women are elected as Gram Panchayat members and nearly ten thousand have become Sarpanch’s (head of the local body). This, of course, is a very new experience for women and it has increased their capacity to govern. Women’s participation in the local governance has started breaking the earlier norms of rural politics. Though very few women are actually taking part in the governance, many are shadowed by the proxy rule by their husband’s or other influential male member of the village or political party. Those women, who try to work for the cause, still have to face many obstacles, such as patriarchal set-up of the society, caste, traditional norms and customs and the lack of socio-economic-political strength to stand against strong opposition. The most important effect of this process is that a group of women with some degree of political experience and awareness has come into existence in almost every village. These women are capable and confident enough to form a separate political group at the local level, if they are provided with a platform such as an all women’s party. Women have very low levels of representation in parliament and state legislatures despite years of work by talented women in every party. Women who tried to enter politics were subject to popular ridicule in the past. Political parties routinely excluded women from decision-making positions, resisted nominating them as candidates, and denied their women candidates’ adequate campaign support. Many of these women believe their efforts are wasted and at best overlooked, no matter how talented they are or how hard they work. The growing frustration and desperation amongst women political workers of different political parties has even led to suicide attempts by sidelined aspirant women candidates.
The reservation for women at present is insufficient and we all know the kind of “games political parties play” in Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) with the women’s reservation bill. We hope that our move will encourage them to pay more attention to women voters and pass the bill immediately. Further, the system of rotational reservation in local governing bodies has done more harm than good, not only for women, but also for men. Several women who have served capably are denied the tickets, once the constituencies are de-reserved, as if the open seats are reserved for men politicians. This practice had a demoralising effect on potential women candidates for the reserved seats.
Women voters have played a significant role in bringing different political parties to power at different times in the past. Aware of this, all parties are trying to mobilise women support, resulting in their increasing participation in political activities. Despite this, whenever women’s issues come to surface, such as passing of the women’s reservation bill or domestic violence bill, all political parties, including those who are having a large number of women in their rank and file, and those who are led by women, neglect women’s interests. This shows that mere participation is not sufficient and what is required is real representation of women constituency. All women political party is the only way women can get their views and interests taken on board in the hostile male-dominated world of politics.
In short, the situation in India provides appropriate productive ground for the formation of an autonomous political party. On the one hand, the growth of education, employment and rotational reservation of seats have contributed to the growth of political awareness and aspirations amongst large number of women. While on the other hand, the existing political parties are unable to satisfy the growing aspiration of women by providing them enough space and opportunity due to their women hostile culture, values and structure. Women’s participation and interest in the political activity has increased but not the real representation. Formation and strengthening of an autonomous women’s party is the only way to increase it.
FEMINISATION OF POLITICS
Politics of the New Age
Every age, bring with it, its own unique set of concepts and values. Sometimes, the virtues of one age turn into vices in some other period. The traits and tendencies, which are considered as qualities and strengths in one era, end up as weaknesses in another. The qualities of the men politician such as good oratory, dominating personality and competitiveness, are no more assets in the new kind of politics. On the contrary, soft, mild and co-operative type of personality, which a majority of women have, can be more effective in today’s politics. Most of the present problems are results of the mess created by the patriarchal dominated male politics. Womanist Party of India (WPI) will try to initiate the process of feminisation of Indian politics. It means, it will bring such new values, perspectives, methods, ways, attitudes, styles and spirit into politics that is more close to women’s nature. We believe women can offer alternate framework and culture to the established politics. The feminisation of the politics should not be seen as degradation. It is necessary to change the present political culture and structure to further strengthen and expand the base of democracy. It will be difficult to further and facilitate the development in future without giving women their due share of power. Women will only get into power if the political culture is feminised. As an all women political party, we are committed to change the political culture and make it more feminine and we believe that it will be the biggest asset of our party.
“POLITICS OF CARE”
Being women, we are committed to evolve an alternative perspective on governance. At present, the governments are careless about the majority of people they govern. Gone are the days, when government was supposed to be the ‘welfare state’. In this era of globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation, the whole society is in turmoil and chaos. Majority of the people living in this era face extreme economic, and consequently, psychological insecurity. In the rural area, the process unleashed by globalisation, commercialisation and privatisation of the precious natural resources, has endangered the livelihood and food security of the marginalised population. In the cities, employment security is a thing of the past.
The psychological insecurity amongst the youth, make them an easy prey for macho and fanatic forces of different communities. Such fanatic forces, not only disrupt social harmony, but also make each section of the society insensitive towards the other and the ultimate victims of this mass and cross community fanaticism are women belonging to all sections of the society. Therefore, the government in this age of globalisation should be feminine, motherly, caring and sensitive, to be precise, “Womanist”.
The Womanist Party of India (WPI), not only wants to achieve political equality or transfer of power to women, but also develop and change the concept of governance. It will strive to usher the “politics of care”, where the government takes care of the weaker and marginalised sections of the society. It will be sensitive to the plight of the poor, downtrodden and exploited people. It will feel the sorrows of street children, miseries of deserted women, and horrors of communal frenzy and riots.
Give women the power, and they alone will be able to provide a model of governance, suitable for the present age. This age calls for an altogether different set of values and capacities for good governance and an efficient administration that women naturally possess. Our Party will bring the inherent womanly traits into governing of the country.
‘POLITICS OF SHARING’
You do not care about the people with whom you do not share. Women are known for sharing with others and initiate communication. Two-way communications between the state and the citizens is a necessity for efficient administration and development. Womanist Party of India will take effort to evoke participation of the common people in planning and administration. Opinions of the common people, and not just the experts, are important in the planning and development process. Being women, we do all our work at home, taking into account views of all the members of the family. Younger generation is always comfortable about sharing things with mothers than the father. Similarly, we are committed to create a congenial atmosphere, in which rural farmers, illiterates and women can speak out and the government gives importance to their views, as a crucial planning component. Women have a lot to share and say, but they cannot express themselves, due to the patriarchal, political and administrative structure. WPI commits itself to develop women friendly, people friendly, administrative culture and structure so that the common people can participate.
We will not withhold information and knowledge from the people. We are committed to give people the government of the new millennium and which will be suitable for the development of true knowledge and an informative society.
Even now, we are developing our Party Manifesto and Party Programme, in a participatory manner, involving different sections of the society. Everyone can join this process. This will set a precedent for other political parties in India and the process of feminisation of politics will begin.
PARTY PROGRAMME
The state-wide Party Convention will be organised in April 2004, where the delegates will collectively (in real terms) decide about the long-term programme and policies of the party. We want to evolve within the organisation a democratic and collective decision-making process to make the women’s party ‘a party with a difference” (again in real terms). The party will develop policies from women’s perspective, in areas including employment, social security, the environment, health, education and human rights.
Following are the provisional demands and they will become a part of Party Programme, only after their due ratification in the forthcoming convention of the party.
1. The present reservation should be properly protected for effective implementation of the PRI and it should be increased to 50 percent from the present 33 per cent.
2. A bill with a provision of 50 per cent reservation for women should be passed for the Lok Sabha and State Legislature.
3. Women’s name should be included in the 7/12 document (Land ownership Deed)
4. Immediate implementation of the Maharashtra State Women’s Policy (declared sometimes back).
5. Women should be provided with adequate micro credit through village co-operative societies.
6. Mechanism should be evolved to open district women’s co-operative banks in all the districts.
7. 50 percent positions be reserved for women in the board of directors of co-operative banks, state corporations, charitable trusts, government aided schools and colleges’ managing committees.
8. Women hawkers, vendors and self-employed women should be given 50 percent reservation in the identified hawker’s zones in Gram Panchayat (village council), Nagar Palika (Municipality) and Mahanagar Palika areas.
9. Women should be given 50 percent reservation in allotment of stalls, shops and canteens on contract basis, by railways, state transports and government offices, schools and colleges.
10. Government schemes, budget and policies should be gender sensitised.
11. Women should get ownership rights over natural resources.
12. Implementation of the Gramdani Act, 1964 passed by the Government with appropriate changes
13. Opening of all women police stations in each city, block and town
14. Immediate stopping of prodigal wastage of public money on administration and implementation of the useful recommendations of various reports on the governance and administrative reforms
15. Adoption of sustainable and effective strategy to counter recurring drought
16. Evolve effective mechanism to stop sexual harassment of women at work places.
17. Evolve mechanism to recognise and pay for women’s unpaid contribution to the house
18. Provide safe drinking water to each village.
19. Provide free bus and railway passes to girl students to attend schools or colleges, far off from their homes.
20. Women should be given 50 per cent reservation in higher up decision-making positions in private as well as public corporate sector.
21. Undertake review of the privatisation policy and ensure social security, food security and livelihood security for the masses.
WE COMMIT TO:
1. The various issues raised by the Feminist movement in the last three decades will be taken up and implemented by the party when it comes to power.
2. Strive to address the problems of rural women, urban women, and working women, disabled women, senior citizens, children, home makers and domestic workers.
3. Work for the development of all marginalised and weaker sections of the society such as Dalits, Adivasis and rural as well as urban poor.
4. Contesting and winning elections will not be our sole aim, but we will strive for the empowerment of women and other marginalised population in every sphere of life continuously.
WE APPEAL:
- To all the women such as working women, urban and rural women, to join the party to turn the wheels of history and to make it Herstory.
- To all the women who aspire to contest in the forthcoming election and those who have contested in the past to join the party.
- Finally, to all the men of this great nation, to support our women’s party, encourage and facilitate their mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and friends to join the party to enrich Indian democracy and to make India a truly developed nation in the near future. Remember, if given an opportunity, women will manage the administration as spend thriftily, effectively and meticulously as they manage your home, and avert the prodigal ways in which the present politicians manage your country.
- For several years, you have tried different political parties and what have you got. “Don’t you think we deserve a chance?”
WHAT YOU CAN DO?
1. Become conscious of your rights and refuse to bow down
2. Believe in yourself and establish your identity
3. Don’t allow yourself to be exploited at your work place and stand by your fellow women employees in their crisis
4. Vote for WPI or candidates supported by WPI
5. Donate whatever you can for the party
6. Join the party
7. Encourage others to join the party and propagate its message
8. Become an active member of the party
PARTY PROFILE:
NAME OF THE PARTY:
WOMANIST PARTY OF INDIA (English)
BHARTIYA STREEWADI PARTY (Marathi)
EMBLEM :
Hands with Bangles
FLAG:
Hands with Bangles in WHITE colour at the centre on background of PURPLE colourWOMANIST PARTY OF INDIA (WPI)
Dear friends,
History is being written in India with the launching of first ever all women political party. A new PURPLE colour is all set to beautify the political horizon of the largest democracy in the world.
We the women from Maharashtra, one of the leading states of India are in the process of formation of our own party with the aim of getting foothold in the hitherto male bastion - politics. As in childbirth, the inception of women’s party will also involve pain, labour and risk. However, being women we have decided to take on this challenge for the sake of whole of society and humanity.
We have decided to contest the forthcoming parliamentary and state legislative elections on our own strength and field our candidates in each and every constituency within Maharashtra. Even before the formal declaration of the party we have developed strong support base in some parts of rural Maharashtra. After the formal declaration we expect massive response from the women for our membership recruitment drive, which will be launched on the first of November 2003. We have set a target of registering five hundred thousand members within a year in Maharashtra alone. The state wide party convention will be organised in April 2004 to decide about the long-term programme and policies of the party.
INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
When we took this decision we were not aware of some of the recent worldwide developments in women’s movement as most of us belong to farming caste background and not exactly part of elite women liberation groups. However, now we can see what we were doing was not AN isolated phenomenon but was in tune with the trend that has been taking shape since late nineties all over the world. In countries such as Belarus, Australia, Greece, Russia, Philippines, Cambodia women have either attempted or have formed separate political parties to contest elections. In several countries NGOs and women’s groups are championing for increasing women’s participation in electoral politics and educating women voters. These bold initiatives are commendable and need strengthening. They showcase not only growing realisation about the need of separate women’s party among the women world over but also the emergence of women as new political entity. Ours will be the third autonomous women’s party in Asia and presumably within first ten in the world. We commit ourselves to build alliances with these political initiatives of women all over the world to forge international unity and solidarity of women.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
India is the largest and one of the vibrant democracies in the world. It has seen eruption of different political identities and forces in the recent past. Indian society as a whole is in turmoil with the growing political aspirations of different social groups. A closer analysis of socio-political situation suggests that women are poised to emerge as new claimant of greater political representation in near future. This will have far reaching effect not only on Indian polity but also on the world.
RATIONALE BEHIND THE FORMATION OF THE PARTY
The decision to form autonomous women’s political party, however, was not taken on the basis of mere ethical and humanitarian grounds, though they are quite strong. This decision was natural outcome of realisation after years of frustration and disillusionment from the mainstream political parties in India. In all these years after independence what women got was only rhetoric and unfulfilled promises. Women are now sick of the rhetoric and they do want action. They want it for themselves and for the society. They want to achieve true political equality. Existing political parties are not genuinely interested in and not capable of absorbing the growing aspirations of women in India. This can be seen from the way various parties play with the issue of women’s reservation in parliaments and the way they treat the women aspirants while allotting tickets for elections.
The present situation in India offers the opportunity for a large number of powerless rural women to enter active local governance at its basic level and become partners in the developmental process. For many years rural politics has remained in the hands of few local influential persons or local politicians. But the 73rd Constitutional Amendment reserves one-third of the total seats for women in the Local bodies. This makes it possible for women to contest the local elections and participate in the village Governance. In Maharashtra State itself, more than one hundred thousand women were elected as Gram Panchayat members and nearly ten thousand became Sarpanch (head of the local body). This of course is a totally new experience for women and their capacities to Govern. Women’s participation in the local governance has started breaking the earlier norms of rural politics. Though very few women are actually taking part in the governance, many are shadowed by the proxy rule by their husband or other influential male member of the village or political party. Those women who try to work for the cause still have to face many obstacles such as patriarchal set-up of the society, caste, traditional norms and customs and the lack of socio-economic-political strength to stand against the strong opposition. The most important effect of this process is that a group of women with some degree of political experience and awareness has come into existence in almost every village. These women are capable and confident enough to form separate political group at the local level if they are provided with A platform such as AN all women’s party.
Women have very low levels of representation in parliament and state legislatures despite years of work by talented women in every party. Women who tried to enter politics were subject to popular ridicule in the past. Political parties routinely excluded women from decision-making positions, resisted nominating them as candidates, and denied their women candidates adequate campaign support. Many of these women believe their efforts are wasted and at best overlooked no matter how talented they are or how hard they work. The growing frustration and desperation among the women political workers of different political parties has even led to suicide attempts by sidelined aspirant women candidates.
The reservation for women at presently is insufficient and we all know the kind of “games political parties play” in Lok Sabha with the women’s reservation bill. We hope that our move will encourage them to pay more attention to women voters and pass the bill immediately. Further the system of rotational reservation has done more harm than good not only for women but also for men. Several women who have served capably are denied of the tickets once the constituencies are de-reserved as if the open seats are reserved for the men politicians. This practice had a demoralising effect on potential women candidates for the reserved seats.
Women voters have played significant role in bringing different political parties to power at different times in the past. Aware of this, all parties are trying to mobilise women support resulting in their increasing participation in political activities. Despite of this whenever women’s issues come on surface, such as passing of the women’s reservation bill or domestic violence bill, all political parties including those who are having large number of women in their rank and file and those who are led by women neglect women’s interests. This shows that mere participation is not sufficient and what is required is real representation of women constituency. All women political party is the only way women can get their views and interests taken on board in the hostile male-dominated world of politics.
In short, the situation in India provides appropriate productive ground for the formation of autonomous political party. On one hand the growth of education, employment and rotational reservation of seats have contributed in the growth of political awareness and aspirations among large number of women. On the other hand the existing political parties unable to satisfy the growing aspirations of women by providing them enough space and opportunity due to their women hostile culture, values and structure. Women’s participation and interest in the political activity has increased but not the real representation. Formation and strengthening of autonomous women’s party is the only way to increase it.
PARTY PROGRAMME
The state wide party convention will be organised in April 2004, where the delegates will collectively (in real terms) decide about the long-term programme and policies of the party. We want to evolve within the organisation a democratic and collective decision-making process to make the women’s party “a party with a difference” (again in real terms). The party will develop policies from women's perspective in areas including employment, social security, the environment, health, education and human rights.
Following are the provisional demands and they will become the part of party programme only after their due ratification in the forthcoming convention of the party.
1. The present reservation should be properly protected for effective implementation of the PRI and it should be increased to 50 per cent from the present 33 per cent.
2. A bill with provision of 50 per cent reservation for women should be passed for the Lok Sabha and State Legislature.
3. Women’s name should be included in the 7/12 document (Land Ownership Deed)
4. Immediate implementation of the Maharashtra State Women’s Policy (declared sometimes back).
5. Women should be provided with adequate micro credit through village cooperative societies.
6. Mechanism should be evolved to open district women’s cooperative banks in all the districts.
7. 50 percent positions be reserved for women in the board of directors of co-operative banks, state corporations, registered charitable trusts, government aided schools and colleges managing committees.
8. Women hawkers, vendors and self-employed women should be given 50 percent reservation in the identified hawkers zones in Gram Panchayat, Nagar palika and Mahanagar palika areas.
9. Women should be given 50 per cent reservation in the allotment of stalls, shops and canteens on contract basis by railways, state transports and government offices, schools, colleges.
10. Government schemes, budget and polices should be gender sensitised.
11. Women should get ownership rights in natural resources.
12. Implementation of the Gramdani Act, 1964 passed by the Government with appropriate changes.
13. Opening of all women police stations in each city, block and town.
14. Immediate stopping of prodigal wastage of public money on administration and implementation of the useful recommendations of various reports on the governance and administrative reforms.
15. Adoption of sustainable and effective strategy to counter recurring drought.
16. Evolve effective mechanism to stop sexual harassment of women at the work places.
17. Evolve mechanism to recognise and pay for women's unpaid contribution to the house.
18. Provide safe drinking water to each village.
19. Provide free bus and railway passes to girl students to attend schools or colleges far off from their homes.
20. Women should be given 50 per cent reservation in higher up decision-making positions in private as well as public corporate sector.
21. Undertake review of the privatisation policy and ensure social security, food security and livelihood security of the masses.
WE COMMIT TO:
1. The various issues raised by the Feminist movement in the last three decades will be taken up and implemented by the party when it comes to power.
2. We will strive to address the problems of rural women, urban women, and workingwomen, disabled women, senior citizens and children, housewives, domestic workers.
3. We also commit to work for the development of all the marginalised and weaker sections of the society such as Dalits, Adivasi, and rural as well as urban poor.
4. Contesting and winning elections will not be our sole aim but we will strive for the empowerment of women and other marginalised population in every sphere of life continuously.
WE APPEAL:
- All the women such as working women, urban and rural women to join the party to turn the wheels of history.
- All the women who aspire to contest in the forthcoming election and those who have contested in the past to join the party.
- Finally we appeal all the men of this great nation to support women’s party and encourage, facilitate their mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and friends to join the party to enrich Indian democracy and to make India a developed nation in near future. Remember if given an opportunity the women will manage the administration as spend thriftily, effectively and meticulously as they manage your home, and avert the prodigal ways in which the present politicians manage your country. For several years you have tried different political parties and what have you got? Don’t you think they deserve a chance?
WHAT YOU CAN DO?
1. Become conscious of your rights and refuse to bow down
2. Believe in yourself and establish your identity
3. Don’t allow yourself to be exploited at your workplace and stand by your fellow women employees at their crises
4. Vote for WPI or candidates supported by WPI
5. Donate whatever you can for the party
6. Join the party
7. Encourage others to join the party and propagate its message
8. Become an active member of the party
CONTACT:
Varsha Kale,
National President,
Womanist Party of India,
D-3/303, Pancharatna,
Anand Nagar, Manpada Road,
Dombivli (east),
Pin code: 421201
Maharashtra,
India.
Tel: 9870429972
E-mail: wpindia2003@yahoo.co.in
NAME OF THE PARTY:
WOMANIST PARTY OF INDIA
BHARTIYA STREEWADI PARTY
EMBLEM:
Hands With Bangles
FLAG:
Hands With Bangles in the white colour at the centre on the background of PURPLE COLOUR
RURAL WOMEN RESPONDS
