The Hindu : Assembly polls: AIDWA to focus on gender issues

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 28, 2003

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Assembly polls: AIDWA to focus on gender issues

By Our Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE OCT. 27. The All-India Democratic Women's Association plans to place gender issues, especially crimes against women, on top of the political agenda in the coming Assembly elections in the five States, the association's general secretary, Brinda Karat, has said.

Speaking at a press conference here today, Ms. Karat said crimes against women had to be made a political issue as these had become rampant and were rising at an alarming rate in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

She found it shocking that a rape victim was paraded at a rally attended by the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.It was done, she alleged, for the sole purpose of gaining political mileage since the accused in the case had been exonerated by the court and the ruling parties of that State had not given her any help. There had been 26 rape cases in 14 days in Delhi, she added. The AIDWA would also raise the issues relating to food security and nutritional status of women.

In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, women had been the victims of food scarcity caused by drought.Surveys had shown that the calorific value of their intake had declined. This had been alarming, particularly in the rural areas where a Government-sponsored survey showed 80-85 per cent of them had become anaemic. The AIDWA had decided to demand during election campaigns a change in the food policy of the State Governments and distribution of foodgrains at fair prices.

The Bill that seeks to provide quota for women in Parliament would be raised as a campaign point and major political parties asked to make a commitment to pass resolutions supporting legislation in the State Assembly, if elected to power.

Expressing concern about the rising incidence of attacks against women, Ms. Karat demanded fast track courts for trial of cases pertaining to such offences and close monitoring of such cases. She said that in the absence of efficient investigation the conviction rate in these cases was a dismal 15 per cent.

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