The Hindu : National : `Women should unite to fight for their rights in CMP'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004

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National

`Women should unite to fight for their rights in CMP'

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 27. The general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Harkrishan Singh Surjeet, today asked women to get united to fight for the implementation of the promises — including 33 per cent reservation in the Legislative Assemblies and Parliament — made to them in the common minimum programme of the United Progressive Alliance Government.

Speaking at the eighth convention of the Delhi unit of the All-India Democratic Women's Association here today, Mr. Surjeet said the Left parties would always support women in their struggle for equality and betterment. While India had progressed over the years, its development had not been commensurate with the development of women as long-established prejudices and orthodox notions about the status of women would not easily go away.

Brinda Karat, general secretary, AIDWA, accused the erstwhile Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance Government of ignoring the interests of women and the poor and called upon the UPA Government to implement the common minimum programme that prioritised women's issues.

Parliament disruption

Criticising the BJP for not allowing Parliament to function over the Shibu Soren issue, Ms. Karat said the House was being disrupted because the NDA was unable to accept the people's mandate that voted them out of power. "The BJP's refusal to opt out of all parliamentary committees was yet another indication of the scant regard they had for the democratic system of the country."

She thanked women for voting out the NDA Government. The previous regime had deliberately kept out the poor from their agenda while projecting the country in the "India Shining" campaign, she said. As much as Rs. 33,000 crores had been earned by the NDA in the past five years by selling the public sector undertakings to private companies.

"As far as the policies of the previous regime are concerned, over 7,000 farmers committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh and other States as a result of the after-effects of its economic policies."

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