People's Democracy

WEST BENGAL

AIDWA State Conference Vows to

Face the Challenge of Terror

From Our Special

Correspondent

THE 26th West Bengal state conference of the All India Democratic Women’s Association vowed to intensify struggle to defend democracy and women’s’ rights braving terrorisation. The conference was held in Krishnanagar, Nadia, rechristened ‘Laxmi  Sehgal Nagar’. The town, awash in red, turned out in thousands to attend the open rally of the conference on the first day on 20th October.

Addressing the gathering, Brinda Karat hailed the heroic resistance of the women of Bengal and Nadia in particular. She was unequivocal in her criticism of the Mamata government’s tyranny and the rise in crime on women. ‘When the state leads the nation in the ‘murder’ of democracy, women bear the brunt. In the massive violence unleashed during the panchayat elections by the ruling party, women were most affected, either as a candidate, a voter or a political worker. When the whole nation is pushed towards extreme financial distress with rising inflation and growing unemployment on account of anti-people neo-liberal policies pursued by the UPA-II government, it is the women who bear the distress’.

Scathing in her criticism of the growing disclosures of large scale fraud of both the central and Bengal state governments, she also put Narendra Modi in perspective. Recalling the ghastly 2002 Gujarat riots, she reminded the people that thousands of minority women were exposed to organised violence, multiple cases that the Supreme Court is handling now. She exposed the secular duplicity of the chief minister Mamata Banerjee who continues to hobnob with the BJP.

Inaugurating the delegate conference, AIDWA general secretary Sudha Sundararaman said that few years ago West Bengal, including Kolkata city, was the safest place for women. Even women from other states found the state most protective. The situation has undergone a drastic change in the last two years with rising graph of atrocities against women. She said the economic distress of millions of women was the fundamental problem of the women in the country.

Minati Ghosh, state secretary, placed the main report. Apart from that a report on atrocities against women in the state was placed. Delegates from districts described the horrors of barbaric attacks on women by the ruling party goons. Many of them were themselves the victim of these attacks. The conference expressed solidarity with the delegates and family members of the martyr families, who were present. Delegates also described how, under TMC rule, the self help groups are being dismantled. Examples of courageous struggle by the women during panchayat elections, many of whom were forced to leave their residence, were placed before the conference. They also discussed about the methods to be applied to face the challenge of an authoritarian rule.

Shyamali Gupta and Banani Biswas were among those who spoke about the necessity of consolidation of organisation and the political battle to defend democracy in the state. In her reply, Minati Ghosh vowed to forge greater unity with the mass of women and move forward with patience.

Anju Kar was elected as new president of the state committee and Minati Ghosh was re-elected as secretary.