Women thrived in every profession without reservation — so why does politics need one? Something is broken in politics, not in women. Scholar and activist Madhu Purnima Kishwar opens with a sharp observation: Indian women have risen to the top in medicine, engineering, IAS, IFS, and software without any reservation system. The demand for quotas in politics alone signals a structural problem with Indian politics — not a deficiency in women’s capabilities.
Kishwar traces the history of the Women’s Reservation Bill in detail, revealing that its drafting was poor, its safeguards against misuse non-existent, and its champions were funded by crores from foreign agencies — which is why the media and political establishment lined up unanimously behind it. She and colleagues at CSGS drafted a superior alternative bill instead, which she promoted across universities and women’s organisations at her own expense.
The deeper argument is civilisational: India is importing Western frameworks of “equal outcomes” — not equal opportunity — which have demonstrably damaged family structures and social order in countries like Iceland and Sweden, where two-thirds of children are raised by single mothers. India should fix what’s broken in politics, not transplant a foreign template.

About the Speaker:
Prof Madhu Purnima Kishwar is an Indian academic, author and a commentator. She is currently employed as a chair Professor in the Indian Council of Social Science Research. Madhu Kishwar is the Founder-Editor of the journal Manushi.