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AIDWA to hold rally against `anti-women' policies

By Our Staff Correspondent

JAIPUR JUNE 25. The All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) will organise a massive rally of women here on August 25 next to counter the BJP's attempt to capture power in Rajasthan through its "divisive campaign'' in the Assembly elections later this year and protest against the "anti-women'' policies of the BJP-led Government in the Centre.

The State Committee of AIDWA, which met here for two days, also decided to launch a State-wide campaign before the rally to apprise the women of the issues confronting them, on which the NDA Government had resorted to "cynical manipulation'' and reflected "total abdication of responsibility''.

The Central Government had not taken even a single initiative for women's empowerment during the past four years, charged the State Committee. It said the compliance with the Central guidelines by the State Government had also led to injustice and discrimination against women in several areas.

The AIDWA general secretary, Brinda Karat -- who attended the State Committee meeting -- told reporters here today that the four years of the NDA rule in the Centre had provided legitimacy to the female subordination with the incorporation of Hindutva ideology in governance and led to disempowerment of women in all walks of life.

``As many as five Bills relating to women's rights, including that on the women's reservation, are pending in the Parliament, but there has been no serious attempt to pass them,'' Ms. Karat said, while accusing the Government of applying double standards to the Women's Reservation Bill. She said the AIDWA would press for putting all the five Bills to vote in the monsoon session of the Parliament.

Referring to the impact of the Central Government's social and economic policies on women, Ms. Karat said the subjugation of women was the "core pillar'' of Hindutva -- guiding the Government's functioning -- and women were at the receiving end in the BJP's concept of cultural nationalism. Similarly, the economics of Hindutva was ruining the nation with the unchecked liberalisation. Ms. Karat said the AIDWA stood for revamping of the food policy with an alternative targeting system in place of the "cynical manipulation'' of statistics by the BJP-led Government to prove that poverty had reduced by 10 per cent. "By forcibly reducing the number of below poverty line (BPL) families in various States, the Centre has converted this criterion into the biased political line,'' she commented.

The AIDWA general secretary flayed the ongoing `Parivartan Yatra' of the State BJP president, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, saying it was devoid of any alternative with regard to policies and programmes. She also demanded a review of the State Government's recent decision to adopt a different investigation method while probing the criminal charges levelled against religious leaders and saints with mass following.

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