People's Democracy

MAHARASHTRA

 AIDWA Holds State Camp at Solapur

Mariam Dhawale

A PUBLIC convention against sex determination tests was organised by the Solapur district committee of AIDWA on September 2, 2012. More than 1000 women attended this convention. The convention was presided over by AIDWA Solapur district president Shevanta Deshmukh. It was addressed by AIDWA general secretary Sudha Sundararaman, state secretary Sonya Gill, state president Kiran Moghe, state vice president Mariam Dhawale, state joint secretary Naseema Shaikh and state committee member Nalini Kalburge. 

Addressing the convention, Sudha Sundararaman said the continuous decrease in the sex ratio is a reflection of the extreme bias against women. The use of advanced technology for the elimination of the female foetus is going on unabated. The government needs to take firm steps to book the culprits responsible for this heinous crime. A stricter implementation of the PcPNDT Act is required. The monitoring committees formed by the government at the state and district levels must be made to function much more effectively. The AIDWA has been organising a relentless campaign to generate awareness among the people on this burning issue. The incidence of violence against women is also rising in an alarming manner throughout the country, she remarked.

Sudha Sundararaman brought to the notice of the convention that the UPA-2 regime is heaping unbearable burdens on women and the working people through its neo-liberal policies which are triggering massive price rise and are threatening food security. Corruption scams of lakhs of crores of rupees are draining the country, the Coalgate scam providing the latest instance. Communal forces are conspiring to create tensions and divide society, as glaringly seen in Assam and Gujarat, she said. She appealed the women to unite and raise their voice against all such injustice.

EDUCATIVE

STATE CAMP        

This convention marked the culmination of the successful three-day state camp of the AIDWA at the Godavari Parulekar Housing Complex in Solapur. The camp was attended by 120 activists from 12 districts. It began with the garlanding of the photo of Captain Laxmi Sehgal. Kiran Moghe placed the condolence resolution. Sonya Gill welcomed the participants and explained the purpose and programme of the state camp.

The subjects and teachers at this state camp were as follows:

1.     Current political challenges in the context of imperialism, globalisation, communalism and fundamentalism – Dr Ashok Dhawale

2.     Caste, class and gender in Maharashtra today – Kiran Moghe

3.     Issues of rural women and tasks before the state AIDWA – Mariam Dhawale

4.     Perspective and tasks of the AIDWA at the national level – Sudha Sundararaman

5.     Violence against women – Medha Kale.

After the placing of each topic, the participants held lively group discussions. They were given a set of questions to be answered on each topic, to gauge how much of the subject they had grasped. This was followed by lucid question-and-answer sessions.

The various sessions of the camp were presided over by AIDWA state office bearers Hemlata Kom, Hemlata Patil, Sangeeta Ozare, Saraswati Bhandirge and Subhadra Khilare. The study camp was greeted in a rousing address by CITU state president Narsayya Adam. In a special session that was conducted by state committee member Malavika Jha, she selected and taught five different songs of the movement. Sonya Gill placed the decisions of the AIDWA state committee meeting as regards future tasks.

In her concluding remarks Sudha Sundararaman stressed the importance of consolidation and strengthening of the AIDWA in Maharashtra. Naseema Shaikh placed the vote of thanks. Sudha also addressed a well-attended press conference in the city.

Activists of the AIDWA, CITU, AIKS, DYFI, SFI, Godavari Parulekar Housing Complex and Praja Natya Mandal in Solapur spared no efforts to make excellent arrangements for this state camp. The state camp concluded amidst great enthusiasm with a spirited rendering of ‘We Shall Overcome!’