Srinagar, Apr 15 (KINS): BJP National General Secretary and Prabhari for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Tarun Chugh, launched a sharp attack on the National Conference and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, demanding that they clearly state their position on the 33% reservation for women under the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
Chugh in a statement as per news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) said that instead of making evasive statements, Omar Abdullah must tell the women of the country whether his party supports this historic legislation or opposes it.
Chugh said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a historic step has been taken to ensure the political empowerment of women, but the ambiguous stand of the National Conference exposes its true intent.
He said “it is unfortunate that while the nation is moving forward, certain political parties continue to treat women’s rights as a matter of political bargaining”.
Questioning the legacy of the Abdullah family, Chugh said that “for over 70 years after Independence, women’s rights in Jammu and Kashmir were restricted under the cover of Article 370 and 35A”.
Chugh said that the “so-called Daughters’ Bill of 2004 remains the clearest example of this anti-women mindset, where attempts were made to deprive women of their fundamental rights based on whom they married”.
He said that while the “Abdullah family and the Gupkar gang deprived daughters of their rights through such discriminatory provisions, Prime Minister Modi led the world’s largest women empowerment movement through initiatives like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”.
Chugh said that “the present stance of the National Conference reflects the same regressive thinking, where instead of ensuring equality, decisions are guided by political convenience. He added that attempts to delay or condition the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam show that the party is unwilling to see women truly empowered”.(KINS)
