The suspense has finally been laid to rest. The ‘revolutionary’ step we were primed to expect, ostensibly to empower India’s women, was suddenly so urgent that a special session of Parliament was convened bang in the middle of elections in four states.

It had all the signs of a subterfuge and behind the veil of ‘Nari Vandan’ lay a bid to reshape Parliament in a way that makes the next election easier for the BJP. The text of the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill finally surfaced barely 36 hours before the special session (16–18 April) got under way. Wonder why this pathbreaking move was kept under wraps for so long, from the public and more importantly the women it sought to empower.

The amendment required a two-thirds majority in Parliament, which the government did not have. The Bill wouldn’t pass without Opposition support. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself appealed to Opposition parties to back it. But why weren’t they given the text earlier, so that they had enough time to carefully assess its merit? Why was there no all-party meeting to build consensus, despite repeated demands? And what was the tearing hurry that required a special session in the midst of election campaigns in Bengal and Tamil Nadu, barely a week before polling?

The fog began to lift when the text was finally out. As suspected, the amendment was less about increasing women’s........

© National Herald