Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule's padayatra against female foeticide in Maharashtra reached the outskirts of Pune on Saturday. It was the third day of the padayatra that started in Satara, and 800 girls across the State have already walked over 35 km. to spread the message. “Look at the energy. It is a celebration of life. The issue of protecting the girl child doesn't have to be gone about in a grim fashion,” Ms. Sule told The Hindu as the march was on its way in Yele village in Pune's Bhor taluka.
“Legislation alone cannot solve everything. An issue like this needs mobilisation, and that is what we are doing,” said Ms. Sule. The participants in the padayatra were brought together by the various Self Help Groups (SHGs), whose cause Ms. Sule claims to have espoused when she entered politics in 2006.
Bringing the girls out of their homes for four days was one of the easiest tasks of the campaign, Ms. Sule states. “I am one of four girls, and my parents agreed to send me readily,” Seema Jadhav, 17, said. “It is the first time I have come out of my village. I have skipped school for this, but I am glad that this will change the way people look at girls,” says Deepali Shelar. Both Deepali and Seema are from Bamne village in Thane.
Thirty girls, from Nashik's Triambakeshwar Ashram, whose fathers have committed suicide because of debt are also part of the march. “We also have15 differently abled girls with us. We want to make this completely inclusive,” Ms. Sule says, as she dances with a group of girls.
Slogans of “ Mi nahi sadhi sidhi, mi pan bannar Supriya Didi ” (I am not simple, even I will become Supriya didi) were in the air. Music played from a loudspeaker, as Ms. Sule tried to reach out to every girl in the march. “This energises me like nothing else does. I am more motivated in this than my Lok Sabha rallies. I have nothing to ask from people now, I am merely spreading a message,” she states, just as she is surrounded by girls, eager to be photographed with her.
Ms. Sule, a Nationalist Congress Party MP from Baramati and daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, said her campaign is “completely non-political.” However, numerous banners and cut-outs erected along the Satara-Pune highway with politicians greeting Ms. Sule provides a different picture, necessarily a political one.
Held under the aegis of the Yashwantaro Chavan Pratishthan (YCP), the padayatra is just the beginning of a five-year campaign, Ms. Sule informs. The YCP is largely controlled by the Pawar family. The campaign was inaugurated in the presence of NCP stalwarts like Home Minister R.R. Patil and PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, while the concluding ceremony will be addressed by Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Last week, speculation was rife about contradictions within the NCP about the issue. While Ms. Sule's campaign is about spreading the message and trying to change the mindset through public intervention, the ‘Ajit Balika Suraksha Yojana' for the girl child, launched by NCP leader Vinayak Mete, is all about “action” in the most-affected Beed district in the Marathwada region. Ms. Sule acknowledges Mr. Mete's efforts but claims that her campaign took roots first. “Remember, I started the programme first. The preparation for this was done six months back. This is the first padayatra in the State for the cause of the girl child. If Mr. Mete's campaign was inspired from mine, I will be very happy about it. These two things have to co-exist,” Ms. Sule states. The MP states that Mr. Mete's campaign was supported by the NCP. “As the social sector cannot give money, we have a crucial role in mobilising and changing the mindset,” Ms. Sule says.
In the next five years, 100 girls will be selected and will be trained to spread awareness about the issue, in schools and colleges. “The girls themselves are the best ambassadors for the cause,” Ms. Sule says.
However, speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Mete maintains that his campaign was not getting “even a single rupee from the NCP.” According to him, the funds for the programme are coming from his organisation Lok Vikas Manch, and another non-governmental organisation, Tee Foundation. Hailing from Beed, which recorded one of the poorest sex ratio of 800, Mr. Mete's programme includes depositing Rs. 5000 in the name of every new born girl child, and the girl can avail almost Rs. 50,000 at the age of 18 for her education. Regular medical check-ups in every village as well as a check on sonography centres are also on the agenda.
“ Shirur Kasar, a village in Beed, recorded the sex ratio of 669. When that came out in the 2011 census, I realised I should do something,” Mr. Mete says. Asked about Minister for Women and Child Development Varsha Gaikwad's similar programme, Mr. Mete denied knowing anything about the proposal until recent media reports brought it out. “Ms. Gaikwad should have spoken about it to all of us, who also feel for the same issue. I was in the Assembly, and yet no discussion happened over her proposal,” Mr. Mete states.
“Lots of people take out rallies, shout slogans and carry out raids, but that is only for publicity, and to get photos published in newspapers. What result does that have? I am going to do work that will translate into action,” Mr. Mete says. However, he hurriedly adds that his statement has nothing to do with Ms. Sule's padayatra. “What Supriya Tai is doing is equally important,” he states.
