Women’s rights activists from across the country have expressed shock over anti-corruption crusader and social activist Anna Hazare’s decision to campaign for the Trinamool Congress in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
“We are shocked that you have chosen to express support to and solidarity with the Chief Minister of West Bengal who, in three years, has transformed West Bengal from being the safest State for women to the most unsafe,’’ the women’s groups have said in a joint letter to Mr. Hazare.
“From small satyagrahas in Maharashtra to the huge mobilisations in Delhi, you have stressed on the need to cleanse Indian politics and expressed your anguish over the violence that women and young girls are subjected to. It is not just the fact that the most barbaric forms of violence are being suffered by women and girls in the State but the fact that in many cases, leaders and activists of the ruling party are involved and often the reaction of the Chief Minister has been insensitive, critical of the victim and not reflective of any intention of punishing the perpetrators,” the letter claimed. “We hope that you will reconsider your decision,” it said.
The letter was signed by Jan Jagmati Sangwan (All Indian Democratic Women’s Association), Kavita Krishnan (All India Progressive Women Association) Annie Raja (National Federation of Indian Women), Jayati Ghosh (Jawaharlal Nehru University), Leila Passaah (Young Women’s Christian Association) and Prof. Mritunjoy Mohanty of IIM-Kolkata among others.
