Women leaders rue poor presence in student bodies

KATHMANDU, June 14: Senior women leaders of the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have expressed dissatisfaction over the poor representation of female students in the student wings of their respective parties. Addressing an interaction organized in the capital on Friday, the women leaders also demanded an increase in the representation of females in those bodies to ensure their equal participation in overall politics.



Senior leader of Nepali Congress Sujata Koirala, who chaired the program, said her party"s leadership was not serious about women"s rights. She accused the party leadership of being male chauvanists. ´When I opposed yesterday"s ordinance which throws back women"s representation from 33 to 25 percent, the party leadership took my proposal as a joke´, she said.[break]



Vice-chairman of CPN-UML Bidya Bhandari said that the fresh Constituent Assembly poll would not be held peacefully and was not likely to be held on November 19.

´I am stunned to hear yesterday"s decision to hold the CA election by reducing the seats for women´, Bhandari said. She said women leaders would obstruct the CA poll process if the number of seats for women is not increased to at least 33 percent.



Speaking at a program organized by Nepal Students Union, student wing of the Nepali Congress, Bhandari said, ´The Nepali political establishment is not serious about the concerns of women and they are still patriarchical´.



NSU leader Shova Bhandari said, ´At the time of leadership distribution in NSU elections, only male students get the higher posts.´



Srijana Bhatta of Trichandra College accused the NSU leadership of being serious only in words but not in action. Mina Shrestha of Patan Campus said ´We are as capable as males but the student wing doesn"t trust us´.



Vice-chairman Nabina Lama of CPN-UML student wing All Nepal National Free Students Union also accused that wing of being male-dominated. ´Our student union doesn"t dare to give the leadership and upper positions to females´, she said.



Chairman of Nepal Student Union Ranjit Karna said he was ready to accept the leadership of female students. ´In the upcoming NSU election, we are going to reserve 33 percent of seats for female students. We are serious about the representation of female students in the NSU central committee and we are likely to increase the number of seats for them in the coming election´, he said.

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