ANDHRA PRADESH

AIDWA State Conference Resolves To Continue 

Fight On Women’s Problems

                                                                               M Venugopala Rao

THE tenth state conference of Andhra Pradesh unit of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) resolved to continue to fight for solving various problems confronting the women. The three-day conference was held at Moturu Udayam Nagar (Sundarayya Vignana Kendram) in Hyderabad during October 8-10, 2004.

A massive rally of women and public meeting preceded the conference. On October 8, thousands of women, who came from all over the state, took out a colourful rally from Indira Park to Sundarayya Park at Baghlingampally, attracting the attention of the onlookers with their inspiring slogans, determination and discipline. Holding banners and flags of the Association, the slogans raised by the women against oppression, atrocities, injustice and for implementation of reservations for women rented the air.  The rally was led by AIDWA’s general secretary Brinda Karat, vice president Mallu Swarajyam, state president S Punyavathy and other leaders, followed by volunteers wearing red bordered white sarees, other women and children of Andhra Pradesh Balala Sangham. En route at the RTC X Roads, leaders and workers of SFI, DYFI, CITU, KVPS, APSRTC SWF and others welcomed the rally by showering flowers and raising slogans.

Later, the rally culminated into a public meeting at Sundarayya Park. Addressing the meeting, leaders of AIDWA expressed concern over the plight of a vast majority of women in the country undergoing innumerable difficulties, unable to meet even their minimum needs and starving.  They demanded the governments to solve the problems confronting the women and expressed their resolve to continue to fight for the same.  Brinda Karat demanded the union government to introduce a special employment assurance scheme to provide work for women.  Pointing out that there was no specific mention of providing employment to women in the common minimum programme of the United Progressive Alliance, Brinda Karat criticised that the public distribution system, intended to benefit the poor and middle class people, was being watered down. As a result, women are confronting the problem of hunger. In the circumstances, it was all the more necessary to implement a special employment assurance scheme for women, she said.  Brinda Karat also underlined the imperative of waging struggles on a large scale for implementation of the assurances on the bill for reservations to women in the legislative bodies, strengthening public distribution system, welfare of women and other issues incorporated in the CMP.  She cautioned and made it clear that otherwise there was every danger of their remaining as mere assurances on paper. 

She expressed concern over gender discrimination and killing of foetus, if found to be that of a girl child in the gender identification tests.  She pointed out that it was not proper on the part of some of the state governments to announce the policy of depriving ration and employment opportunities to those families who have more than two children. This was a dangerous step at a time when the population of women was decreasing and death rate of children was increasing, especially among the scheduled tribes and other poor people, said Karat.  As a result of this discriminatory policy, birth rate of girl child is likely to come down further, with the wife and husband preferring to have male children and the tendency of committing foeticide intensifying. She asked the media to change its policy, pointing out that indecent exposure of women in the commercial advertisements, etc. was leading to rape and sexual harassment of women. She asked the women to fight unitedly against this vulgar culture. 

Brinda Karat complimented the women for their great role in inflicting a crushing defeat on the BJP in the country and the TDP in the state at the hustings.  The results of the recent general elections have proved that any government, which insults women, will have to taste defeat. The BJP, which had come to power in the name of Ram, imposed Ravana rule, perpetrated mayhem and atrocities on Muslim women in Gujarat, she said.  Resenting it, the women in the country played an important part in defeating the BJP-led government at the centre.  Unable to recover from the bitter defeat, the BJP was making moves to hatch conspiracy to regain support, Brinda said and underlined the need to defeat the same.

Mallu Swarajyam asked the women to fight against domestic violence, dowry and harassment of women.  The right of the women to equal share in family property, which was achieved through struggles, was not being implemented, she said.  Swarajyam demanded the government to extend necessary support to agriculture and increase employment opportunities.  T Jyothi, general secretary of the reception committee, said that new problems were confronting the women today.  She lashed out at the erstwhile Chandrababu Naidu government for watering down prohibition and imposing burdens on women. Punyavathy, who presided over the meeting, Swarupa Rani, Ramadevi, former MLA P Bharathi, P Nirmala and other leaders of AIDWA participated.

JAYATI GHOSH’S ADDRESS

The state conference of AIDWA was addressed by Professor Jayati Ghosh, chairperson of the state commission on welfare of farmers, and K Raju, commissioner for rural development, among others.  Explaining the reasons for crisis in agriculture and suicides of farmers, Jayati Ghosh suggested a five-pronged approach of sanctioning of loans to all the farmers, providing irrigation facility to agricultural holdings, quality inputs, ensuring remunerative prices to agricultural produce of the farmers and employment to the rural youth.  She pointed out that if these steps were taken on a priority basis, then suicides of farmers and starvation deaths would come down.  Explaining the ground realities, which she observed during her visit to several villages in the state, Jayati Ghosh regretted that compensation was not being paid when women farmers died, simply because the land was not registered in their name. She asked the government and banks to recognise women as farmers and sanction loans to them.  It was painful that in paying minimum wages also women were being discriminated, she said, pointing out that in Mahabubnagar district, women workers were being paid Rs 30 per day, while men workers were being paid Rs 60 per day for the same kind of work.  During non-agricultural season, the wage being paid to women is further reduced.  As a result of the changes that have taken place in work and wages, women are being forced to migrate, taking their children along with them. Women are struggling to survive with a single meal a day.  Children, too, unable to get three meals a day, are starving and not in a position to go to school.  Jayati Ghosh asked AIDWA to try to bring the issues of food security and employment on to the country’s political agenda.  Explaining that AIDWA had been working over the years for food security and employment, Jayati Ghosh asked it to stand in the forefront to fight for effective implementation of various programmes announced by the government, including employment assurance scheme.

The conference elected 19 office bearers and 63 state committee members unanimously. The new office  bearers are : T Jyothi - president, K Swarupa Rani - general secretary, Mallu Swarajyam - honorary president, S Punyavathy - working president, B Hymavathy - treasurer, C Aruna, P Bharati, V Sumathi, P Nirmala, M Lakshmi, G Vijaya Lakshmi, A Elizabeth Rani, A Manmohini - all vice presidents, D Ramadevi, Bhagyalakshmi, Ratnamala, V Aruna, Subbaravamma, Anasuya, K Satyavathi - all secretaries. A total of 600 elected delegates from 22 districts participated in the conference.

The conference passed resolutions on several issues, which include food security, employment, against violence and indecent  exposure of women in the media, on land issue, demanding joint patta in the name of both husband and wife,  enactment of the bill providing 1/3rd reservations to women in the legislative bodies, on the problems of DWCRA, rising prices, dalit, tribal and minority women, in support of the land struggle at Bandlagudem in Krishna district, against consumption of liquor, demanding prevention of starvation deaths of farmers and handloom workers. 

Mementoes and certificates of appreciation were given to several women, who have been fighting for food security, land, house sites and against domestic violence and atrocities of landlords.  The conference reviewed the movements conducted since the last state conference and chalked out the future course of agitational action on identified issues.