Women
The women's Bill, too, looks somewhat different. Leave aside the patriarchal objections of the Yadavs, there are other important grounds why the Bill causes unease. Primary among these is the manner in which it will alter a basic element of our Parliamentary democracy-- the relationship between the member of parliament and his or her constituency.

The principle of rotating constituencies would ensure that one- third of the Lok Sabha would know that they cannot be re- elected from the same seat. This would be a disincentive towards working for the interests of their constituency and its constituents. The other pernicious impact of this would be to shift the balance of power even more towards the " High Command." As it is, the Congress has an over- centralised political culture, and by loosening the MP's hold on his constituency, it will make him more dependent on the goodwill of the " coterie" in New Delhi.

There has been a perfectly good idea floating around-- that parties be shamed into having women constitute one- third of the list of the candidates they put up for elections. On the other hand, the parties could introduce the proportional representation system in which one- third of the party list of those elected will be women. Mixing systems, such as is being effected by the women's reservation Bill in its present form could degrade our political system.

There is, of course, the basic objection to quotas as such. The persistence of quotas has affected India's educational system and the public sector. What was once seen as a temporary measure has become a populist tool. There is no doubt that quotas helped create the critical mass of Dalit government employees who helped Kanshi Ram give birth to the DS- 4 and then the Bahujan Samaj party. But his protégé Mayawati has done more for Dalit empowerment than all the populist efforts of the Congress party. The reason is that quotas in themselves are seen as a kind of a grant from society at large and do little to enhance the self- esteem of the recipient.

On the other hand, Mayawati and the Dalits in BSP do not owe their position and achievement to anyone but themselves and what could be more liberating than this? India needs some way of addressing the important issue of nuclear liability and breaking the pernicious hold of patriarchy in our politics and social life. This may require legislation, or it may not. But both do require a more intense and honest process than we have seen so far. The problem is the political culture of the Congress party which veers from populism on one hand, to implementing important policies through stealth. The whole point of a democracy is the ability to take a plurality of voters along with you on any given issue. In the era of coalitions, building pluralities and majorities is not easy. First, opinions and views on an issue can vary. Second, and more important, our political parties are devoid of any morality. There are parties which take one posture on an issue while in office and can take the opposite view when in opposition. No one said that governing India was easy.

Debate
The Congress party has to stop deluding itself that it has a twothirds majority in Parliament. It does not even have a majority. In this situation, it has no choice but to engage coalition partners, the opposition and the public, to build up support for its policies.

This said, we need to celebrate the debate and discussion that the women's Bill and nuclear liability legislation have brought about.

Mature deliberation and intense argument will actually strengthen the policy goals of transforming the lives of women and providing for nuclear liability. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Ms Sonia Gandhi are, quite laudably, people in a hurry.