On the occasion of International Women's Day today, several women leaders in Telangana spoke out against the discrimination faced by the women in the state.
TRS MLC K Kavitha, who participated in an event organised by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) to mark the occasion at the Park Hotel in Somajiguda, extended her Women's Day wishes to the women in the state.
She then expressed deep concern regarding the sexist attitudes preying on women in general, and on women from the Dalit community in particular. She highlighted the urgent need to continue to fight for gender equality, and for the empowerment of women.
"While a whole gamut of schemes, and checks and balances have been employed to protect and empower women through the years, women are still being harassed and victimised in a myriad ways in our state and country. Dalit women especially face much violence and oppression. We must implement the solutions espoused by Dr B R Ambedkar to address such issues and social maladies. We need to follow his ideals to empower women financially and otherwise. We need to give a push to women to grow financially, and give them key decision-making roles to truly strengthen them," the MLC said.
"We also need to implement more programs like T Pride Telangana, which is a means to support Dalit women in their endeavours to become industrialists and entrepreneurs. The DICCI too is doing its best to further the cause of Dalit women and I appreciate its efforts. But, we must all come together and take more initiative to deal with the problem of discrimination against women," she added.
Kavitha once again reiterated the need to empower women financially, and said that this would help women's development greatly.
Elsewhere in the city, Y S Sharmila, daughter of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and sister of incumbent CM Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, also spoke out against the marginalisation of women in Telangana.
Speaking to a gathering at her Lotus Pond residence, she alleged that the women in the state, which was formed to "drive out existing inequalities", were still facing the very same inequalities and injustices they did before the bifurcation.
Targeting the TRS government, Sharmila added that the ruling party had "failed miserably" in treating the women of the state in a just manner.
Reminding that there were several women cabinet ministers in her father Rajasekhar Reddy's cabinet, she thundered, "There are only two women cabinet ministers in the present TRS government even after seven years of the formation if the state. The party's leadership keeps echoing an empty show of commitment to gender equality saying that women have equal representation in, and access to all the sectors of the state. This is not even true for the cabinet. How can we believe that it is true for other sectors in Telangana?"
Sharmila then promised the women of the state that she would fight for their rights, and to bring them due recognition and representation.
One wonders if her promises are an attempt to create a support base for her party that will reportedly be launched in Khammam soon.
(The leader has been receiving much attention ever since she announced her intention to float a party of her own in the state. The proposed party has attracted both support and censure. Recently, TPCC spokesperson Indira Shoban
resigned from her post to reportedly join it after its launch.)