The State president of Bharatiya Mahila Morcha Shobha Surendran said here on Monday that the code of conduct prescribed by the Muslim League for its women candidates in the elections to the local self governments infringed the freedoms and democratic rights of women.
Addressing a press conference here, the Morcha leader demanded that the Opposition United Democratic Front should clarify its stand on the code prescribed by its constituent.
Ms. Surendran said that the code barred the women candidates from working with men and going out of the house after dusk. These stipulations would hamper their functioning as elected representatives. It showed that the views of the League were not different from that of extremist organisations like the Popular Front of India and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
She said that the Excise Minister P. K. Gurudasan was trying to undermine enquires into the liquor tragedy in Malappuram district because the probes would expose the link between his party and the spirit mafia. Hence the attempt to float theories that the tragedy was the result of subversion.
She demanded that the number of toddy shops in the State should reduced on the basis of the availability of toddy. The age limit foruse of liquor should be raised to 25 years by amending the laws.
She said that the Morcha would hold meetings in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode on September 22 and 25 respectively to discuss women’s issues and formulate policies. It would delve on empowering women through decentralization and increased representation in local bodies.
Prospective candidates of the BJP for the coming elections to the local self governments would attend the sessions. All India president of the Morcha Smrithi Irani would attend the meeting in Thiruvananthapuram and party spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman would attend the meeting in Kozhikode.
