Increase in women voters prompts political war over fairer sex

By Bhavana ‘Aparajita’

Shukla

As the Election Commission’s electoral portal has shown an increase in the number of new women voters, political parties in the State have sounded a bugle to draw credit for pro-women image. On May 9, Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath kicked off ‘Nari Samman Yojana’ from his constituency Chhindwara. On the other hand, State Bharatiya Janata Party hurriedly called a media interaction programme dedicatedly addressed by its women leaders. It was addressed by three women BJP leaders who had held the portfolio of Women and Child Development Department.

Making a scathing attack on Congress over women’s issues, former minister Archana Chitnis said “again Congress has come up with a new trick, how to deceive this time. They are playing old tactics of cheating with women voters with new nomenclature. This time it is Nari Samman”.

Giving reference of derogatories remarks passed for women in the past by Congress leaders, the trio BJP women leaders namely Imarti Devi, Archana Chitnis and Ranjana Baghel allege “it is their (Congress leaders) culture. It shows their respect towards women. Now they are talking about women’s welfare. Although replying to a question of increasing number of crimes against women in the State as per National Crime Bureau report, senior leader Archana Chitnis cited various factors for such crimes, including social and other factors also.

With only a few months left for the Assembly elections, Congress’ Nari Samman is also being seen as nothing more

than an attempt to woo women voters and a strategy to counter ‘Ladli Bahana’ Scheme. Madhya Pradesh Congress is claiming that if it wins and forms government in the Assembly elections 2023, then sisters and daughters of the State will be given Rs 1,500 per month and the LPG cylinders will be available for Rs 500 under ‘Nari Samman Yojana’. This was announced by PCC chief and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath the other day. Both the parties are organising events at large scale to woo women. Irrespective of fact that what has happened to last year published CAG’s report raising issue of financial irregularity of Rs 110 crore in women and child development, increasing crime against women in the State, cases of death due to dowry are still making headlines, women’s reservation during ticket distribution in assembly elections......yet to be answered.