All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) national general secretary Mariam Dhawale has alleged that the Union government is misleading people in the country by failing to honour its commitment made to the farmers on minimum support price (MSP) and diluting the Tribal Rights Act and the Forest Rights Act.
Speaking to media persons ahead of the two-day national executive meeting of AIDWA, which began at Alluri Vignana Kendram here on Friday, Ms. Dhawale alleged that the Centre was treating its own citizens as ‘enemies’. She condemned the firing on farmers, which resulted in the death of a farmer. The tribal rights were being ignored by diluting the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996, and the Forest Rights Act.
Extending support to the farmers, the AIDWA general secretary demanded that the Centre return to the people, the ₹15 lakh crore given to the corporate sector in the form of tax concessions and through loan waivers. The Central government instead of waiving off the loans repayable by Self Help Groups (SHGs), women and backward classes, was writing off the loans taken by the corporate sector. She said AIDWA would not allow it, and would wage struggles to protect the interests of the farmers and the common people.
Women agenda
AIDWA national president P.K. Sreemathi said that the national executive meeting would discuss about the ‘anti-woman’ and ‘anti-Dailt’ policies of the Centre. The meet would come out with a women agenda and exert pressure on all political parties to include it in their election manifesto. She condemned the alleged attacks on minorities by the BJP-led government. The attacks on women were growing across the country, execept in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. She described the judgment of the Supreme Court on electoral bonds as a big blow to the Union government.
Price hike
AIDWA national treasurer S. Punyavathi deplored the steep hike in the prices of essential commodities and the proposed strategic sale of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) pushing all the problems of the people under the carpet in the name of ‘Jai Shree Ram’. She also opposed the handing over of assets in Visakhapatnam Port to the Adani Group.
Published - February 23, 2024 06:37 pm IST
