Socialist Party (India) calls for expelling UP Mahila Kalyan Nigam chief Ms Leelawati Kushwaha because of her insensitive remarks towards another woman. Meera Vardhan, President of Socialist Mahila Sabha, said that "we believe a woman of such distorted thoughts on gender justice does not deserve to head UP Mahila Kalyan Nigam. Ms Kushwaha had asked Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati ji to undergo a virginity test as per news reports so that Ms Kushwaha can determine whether to call her Kuanwari or Shrimati. She hads supported similar expression of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav ji which too is indeed shameful and of course anti-women."Meera Vardhan added that gender justice activists believe that notion of 'virginity' for girls and women is what drives them to shame and manifests in serious depression, isolation, violence and even suicide. Even scientifically notion of 'virginity' is flawed because a girl might be born without any hymen, or may have ruptured it in physical exercise or activities, or during using tampoons etc. Moralistically notion of 'virginity' is surely problematic as it isolates only girls and women to bear the most severe brunt of sexuality related shame and violence.
Socialist Party (India) believes in gender justice and same yardsticks to measure sex related crimes for women, men and transgenders.
She asserted that "we strongly appeal to the authorities to remove Ms Leelawati Kushwaha from Mahila Kalyan Nigam of UP government and replace her with sensitive woman who is an established champion of gender justice."
Magsaysay Awardee and national vice president of Socialist Party (India) Dr Sandeep Pandey and UP state president Girish Kumar Pande also supported the call for removal of UP Mahila Kalyan Nigam chief.
Citizen News Service (CNS)
3 May 2014
