Naliya sex scam is tip of the iceberg: What kind of International Women’s Day are we celebrating in Gujarat?

By Dwarika Nath Rath*
8th March, the International Women’s Day, always comes in a year to make firm pledge for the rights of the women. The women all over the world come forward to raise voice against the discrimination of women, sexploitation, which has become the order in the era of liberalization, privatization and globalization or LPG.
The concept of socialist women is becoming a vanishing concept. The historical significance of women’s day is diluted by promoting consumerism and promoting women as sex object by the corporate world. The dignity of working women is purposefully undermined. As May Day is the working class day, so also the 8th March is known as International working women’s day which has been deliberately used as International Women’s Day only. But the honour of women has been shadowed by governments and the corporate world.
In Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is celebrating the day in Gandhinagar. He is addressing the elected women sarpanches of India. He wants to celebrate the empowerment of women. Who does not know the women elected sarpanchs are the “yes yes” ones only, devoid of freedom. They are the worst victim of saffronisation, growing communalism and enchained in the so-called sacred spiritual, superstitions by organised holy organisations sponged by the ruling parties.
The slogan of this All-India Sarpanch Sammelan is Swacch Shakti, and what does it imply!
As Prime Minister, Modi is celebrating women’s day, the women of Ahmedabad and in the adjacent places there are facing prohibitory orders issued by the police on procession, meetings, congregation etc. Women’s organisations are not being allowed to celebrate women’s day in public places. The prohibitory order stands till 11th March. So in Ahmedabad there won’t be any public programmes on 8th March or thereafter.
As a matter of fact, it can be termed as the Modi-fied Women’s Day.
Remember, this Modi-fied women’s day is being celebrated in Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinager, in the backdrop of the shameful Naliya sex racket, which has exposed the direct and indirect involvement of hosts of persons belonging to the ruling BJP. Schemes are going on to sabotage enquiry into the racket. An atmosphere is created to scare the 35 women victims of the sex racket, in which about 65 persons are involved. A vigilantism is pursued, such that no one open their mouth.
Naliya sex racket is only tip in the iceberg.
Ironically Modi has not spoken a single word on the Naliya sex racket, though he so enthusiastically tweets on trivial issues.
Under the BJP rule in Gujarat, sexploitation has been rampant, whether it is Patan or Parul, where persons enjoying the clout of the rung party are licensed to commit crime on women. Now this sex racket has come to light. There may be so many Naliyas.
It is a matter of grave concern that sexploitation in Gujarat is becoming an epidemic. There is no sight of cessation. After the exposure of Naliya sex racket, about seven incidents of rape by powerful persons have come lime light only in the district of Kutch.
Several incidents have also been recorded throughout Gujarat within this short span of time about women’s oppression. Why? Perhaps because the predators of sex crimes are enjoying the impunity of the government and the administration. Figures of sex crimes are increasing day by day, but more than 90% of the crimes go unrecorded. The reasons are social as well as those related to fear.
Voices of protest are being gagged, freedom is being suppressed. Women as the second sex are pushed to the market forces.
So wither the women in Gujarat? How safe are they?
And what kind of International Women’s Day are we celebrating in Gujarat?
---
*With Socialist Unity Centre of India

Comments

Aarti said…

Gujarat is a land of silence now. No one speaks, no one hears. If you try to speak, they will detain you.

March 09, 2017

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat* The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia. The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam* The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

'A disaster in the making': Expansion of oil palm plantations in Northeast India

By Rupa Chinai, Ravi Chellam* Until a few decades ago, India was nearly 100% self-sufficient in edible oils, with a diverse variety of oilseeds that were grown and consumed sustainably in keeping with the ecological and climatic conditions of different regions in the country. Today, India is highly reliant on palm oil imports to meet its vegetable oil demands.

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Chinese pressure? Left stateless, Rohingya crisis result of Myanmar citizenship law

By Dr Shakuntala Bhabani* A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refugees as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar? Only time will tell.

China ties up with India, Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingyas; Myanmar unwilling

By Harunur Rasid* We now have a new hope, thanks to news reports that were published in the Bangladeshi dailies recently. Myanmar has suddenly taken initiatives to repatriate Rohingyas. As part of this initiative, diplomats from eight countries posted in Yangon were flown to Rakhine last week. Among them were diplomats from Bangladesh, India and China.

40,000 Odisha adolescent girls ask CM: Why is scheme to fight malnutrition on paper?

By Our Representative In unique a postcard campaign to combat malnutrition, aimed at providing dietary diversity, considered crucial during adolescence, especially among girls, signed by about 40,000 adolescent girls from over 10,000 villages, have reminded Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik that his government's Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), which converged with Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman ( POSHAN ) 2.0 in 2021, is not being implemented in the State.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra* Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.

Counterview

Search This Blog