Women legislators take over UP legislative assembly in first-ever special session reserved for them

Speaker of the assembly, Satish Mahana said there are certain female legislators who express themselves well but there are a lot others who find it difficult articulating themselves but have worked in their area which is why they have been elected to the house.

“And this hesitation resides not just in women, but in men too, therefore next time I will try to prepare a list of such male members too ( who are hesitant to speak) and give them an opportunity to speak,” Mahana said commencing the session. CM Yogi Adityanath requested the speaker to let the legislators speak “without any rules” and boundation of time.

UP has 47 women MLAs, including 22 first timers. Female legislators spoke on the agenda, asking questions of the government ranging from price rise pinching kitchen budgets of females to recent cases of crime against women like the Lakhimpur Kheri rape and murder incident, before the house was thrown open for them to express their views on various subjects.

Apart from them, only the leader of the house- CM Yogi Adityanath and leader of opposition Akhilesh Yadav were allowed to speak, with both of them lauding the initiative- the CM listing various steps taken by the government in the direction of womens’ welfare like the Mission Shakti, Kanya Sumangla Yojana, Samuhik Vivah Yojana, among others, as well as Yadav also listing out promises made in the SP’s manifesto in the area of women empowerment and welfare as suggestions to the government.

“After 75 years of independence, the voices of half the population will reach 25 crore people of the state through this House…at the same time, they will get an opportunity to put forward the problems and achievements of the state and other important issues in this House. In fact, this work should have been done long ago,” Adityanath said.

“There are so many issues of women that one day is not enough. Even if we discuss their issues throughout the session the issues will not be exhausted,” Yadav said, adding that if the government, society as well as opposition worked together, incidents like Lakhimpur Kheri and Hathras can be prevented.

SUGGESTIONS BY FEMALE LEGISLATORS:

While most members of the ruling BJP took the opportunity to highlight the government’s initiatives on the subject of womens’ empowerment, some opposition female legislators also cornered the government, while offering some suggestions to the house.

31-year old first time MLA from SP Ragini Sonkar, who represents the Macchlishahr constituency of Jaunpur and is also an AIIMS educated doctor by profession expressed the struggles faced by her as a young female representative belonging to the opposition. “Officials have this perception doubting our ability as we are a woman representative; especially if we are from the opposition. I would request government to take steps to discourage this kind of a mindset (of officials).” In a message to male officials, she also said that while men found it beneath them “following” a woman leader, the women did not want to be followed, but wanted them to walk alongside them.

37-year old MLA from Apna Dal( S) – BJP ally party, Surabhi, also a doctor by profession, suggested the government to install sanitary napkin vending machines in schools and colleges of rural areas as there was “veritable hesitation” regarding menstrual practices there while also requesting the state to build a womens’ college in a village of her area which had no access to any school or college.

31-year old Puja from Mehnagar appealed to the government to waive off 50% fees for women in higher educational institutes of the state and completely waive off fees for women in central universities in the state.