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Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005

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Women's welfare no priority for Raje: Congress

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, APRIL 12. The Opposition Congress members staged a walkout in the Rajasthan Assembly today while accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government of being insensitive to the plight of over 22-lakh single women - who include widows, divorcees and deserted women - by failing to extend a helping hand to them and took umbrage at the "constant decline" in budgetary support for women's welfare.

The House was plunged in turmoil following a reference to a recent statement of civil rights organisations here denouncing the "feudal mindset" of the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, even as Ms. Raje intervened to affirm that she was committed to the protection of women's interests. However, the Congress MLAs stuck with their charge that the State Government was doing nothing to ensure the well-being of single women.

The matter came up in the Assembly during the zero hour through a notice for adjournment motion moved by the Congress MLA, Chandrashekhar Baid, who pointed out that only 2.5 per cent of the single women living in the State were getting a meagre amount of Rs. 200 as monthly pension and said it was insufficient for their survival. Besides, 54 per cent of the 12-lakh women living below poverty line were not getting any kind of pension, he added.

Citing the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court for the food security schemes, Dr. Baid stated that the State Government was required to extend the Antyodaya Anna Yojana to the poor women, in addition to the Annapoorna Yojana, by giving them 35 kilograms of foodgrain every month.

He charged that the BJP-led Government had failed on all these fronts.

The Congress MLA also pointed out that the State Government was constantly reducing budgetary support for welfare schemes for women, with the 2005-06 Budget making an allocation of only Rs. 40 crores for the purpose against Rs. 44 crores allocated in the previous Budget.

"The number of women who need special measures of assistance is continuously increasing. Yet, the Government headed by a woman Chief Minister is oblivious to their needs," he said.

Dr. Baid then referred to unsuccessful attempts of the Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan - representing single women - to meet Ms. Raje to request for extension of benefits to all of them and drew the attention of the House to the recent allegation of civil rights groups regarding Ms. Raje's "feudal stance" and ignoring people's problems. This led to a volley of protests from the treasury benches and the ruling party members created a din in the House taking exception to the use of "offensive" terms.

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Rajendra Rathore, Minister for Rural Development, Kalulal Gujjar, and the Forest Minister, Laxminarain Dave - supported by the ruling party's Chief Whip, Mahavir Prasad Jain - said amid the pandemonium that the reference to the terms such as feudalism and royal background were uncalled for and demanded that they be expunged from the proceedings.

The senior Congress MLA, C.P. Joshi, confronted the treasury benches by asking them to clarify whether or not the Chief Minister had indeed a royal family background. "Is it not a fact that Ms. Raje belongs to the royalty? What is wrong in describing her in this manner," he said.

Ms. Raje, who initially watched the debate and the noise silently, intervened to assert that the BJP had been elected to power in the State by the people. "What is this noise all about? This House belongs to the people and we are here by virtue of their support," she said, while accusing the Congress of backtracking on all issues relating to women's rights.

Ms. Raje pointed out that it was the PDP-Congress alliance Government in Jammu and Kashmir which was going ahead with a proposed Bill to deprive women of their share in the ancestral property on marrying a person from outside the State. This led to a vociferous protest by the Leader of Opposition, B.D. Kalla, who said the Congress had never supported the Bill.

The Chief Minister's affirmation that the State Government was fully committed to protecting women's rights and had extended the benefits of all social security schemes to them failed to cut ice with the Congress MLAs, who staged a walkout in protest.

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Women's welfare no priority for Raje: Congress