Akhila Bharat Janawadi Mahila Sanghatane State president Meenakshi Bali and its vice-president K. Neela have urged women not to vote for BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi on Saturday, Ms, Bali and Ms, Neela alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre had trampled the rights of women over the last ten years.
Highlighting excerpts from the recently-released booklet ‘Status of Women in India Experience of the Last Decade (2014-2024)‘ by All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Ms. Bali said that the women wrestlers who protested against the sexual harassment were manhandled by the police. When a 19-year-old was gang-raped and killed by four members in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, the police and administration scuttled the case. Also, the video of Kuki women being paraded naked in Manipur, revealed the terrible violence meted out to the women in Manipur.
Ms. Neela accused the Centre for giving its tacit approval by maintaining silence when the Gujarat government granted remission to the convicts in Bilkis Bano case. She said BJP and RSS are promoting ideas drawn from Manusmriti that fuels patriarchal ideologies, she added.
The Labour Codes pose a significant threat to women workers ad they attack the right to equal remuneration, allowing for discrimination against women workers.
In the last ten years, women organizations, women workers including ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and pourakarmikas, have spearheaded a series of protests against the BJP-led Union government since it came to power. The activists called for voting the BJP-led government out of power in the coming elections.
