Writer Manasi addresses the state convention of Thulya Prathinithya Prasthanam in Thrissur on Saturday. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Writer and social activist Manasi said equal representation of women in legislatures will remain impossible unless deep-rooted male dominance within political movements is removed. The political leadership, she emphasized, must bear the moral responsibility of confronting social hierarchies, not just complying with legal formalities. She urged the political parties of Kerala to demonstrate this responsibility in the upcoming assembly elections.
She was speaking at the inauguration of Thulya Prathinithya Prasthanam state convention demanding equal representation of women in legislatures at Kerala Sahitya Akademi Hall in Thrissur on Saturday.
Kannur University Assistant Professor Malavika Binny delivered the keynote address.
A resolution passed at the convention criticized the Union government for adding two unnecessary conditions – census and delimitation – before introducing the Women’s Reservation Act. According to him, these conditions only serve to delay the reservation of women, even though none of them are required for the law to come into force.
The resolution pointed out that laws in India normally come into force on the day they are gazetted. Creating a law with no clear date and only a future implementation window is unheard of in Indian legislative history. In this context, the organization called on political parties to ensure that at least 33 percent of their candidates in the next parliamentary elections are women.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the movement presented a petition with one million signatures to the convenors of both the LDF and the UDF, demanding immediate implementation of women’s political rights. However, according to the resolution, political parties were not willing to recognize the democratic right of women.
Published – 15 Nov 2025 20:58 IST
