Congress criticizes government over ‘women’s safety’ standards

New Delhi (India), August 29 (ANI): Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday slammed the Modi government for failing to ensure the safety of women and said that instead of ‘Beti Bachao’, we should ensure equal rights to our daughters.

Kharge criticised the government and questioned whether the recommendations of the Justice Verma Commission and the provisions on sexual harassment of women at workplace had been fully implemented.

Kharge wrote in a social media post on X: “Every injustice done to our women is unbearable, painful and highly condemnable. We need to ensure ‘equal rights for our daughters’, not ‘Beti Bachao’. Women don’t need protection, they need safety. Every hour, 43 crimes against women are registered in the country. Every day, 22 crimes are registered against the women and children of the most vulnerable Dalit tribe of our country. There are countless crimes that are not even registered – due to fear, intimidation and social reasons.” Kharge further called for serious reforms to ensure the safety of women in every sphere of society, be it adding a ‘Gender Sensitisation Curriculum’ or ‘Gender Budgeting’ or providing basic amenities like streetlights and public toilets for women.

“The Constitution has given women equal status. Crimes against women are a serious problem. Stopping these crimes is a major challenge for the country. We must all unite and find solutions to this by involving all sections of society. Be it gender sensitization curricula or gender budgeting, call centers for women or basic amenities like streetlights and ladies toilets in our cities, or our police reforms or judicial reforms – now is the time for us to take every step that can ensure a fear-free environment for women,” the Congress leader said in his message on X.

Kharge hit out at the Modi government, saying it has failed to take effective and preventive measures to ensure the safety of women and that the justice system will not become efficient by merely painting walls with social change and “Beti Bachao”.

The report added, “Prime Minister Modi has repeatedly talked about women’s safety in his speeches at the Red Fort, but his government has done nothing concrete to prevent crimes against women in the last 10 years. On the contrary, his party has also killed the character of the victim several times, which is shameful. Will painting ‘Beti Bachao’ on every wall bring about social change or will governments and the judicial system become more efficient? Are we able to take preventive measures? Has our criminal justice system improved? Can the oppressed and deprived sections of the society now live in a safe environment?” The Congress president further alleged that the government and the administration have often tried to cover up crimes by forcibly performing the last rites of the victims.

“Didn’t the government and administration try to cover up the crime? Did the police forcibly stop the last rites of the victims so that the truth doesn’t come out?” Kharge said in a tweet.

“We must remember that when the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi took place in 2012, the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee were implemented. Can we fully implement those recommendations now? Are the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, passed in 2013, being properly enforced, creating a terrifying environment for our women at workplace?” Kharge added.

The Congress president’s remarks come in the wake of the murder and alleged sexual assault of a female junior doctor on August 9 at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, which sparked national outrage and led to many rallies being held in several states of the country. (ANI)