National

Jayanthi Natarajan wants Fernandes dismissed

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MAY 3. The president of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) Women's wing, Jayanthi Natarajan, has condemned what she called ``the atrocious and barbaric remark'' on women by the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, in Parliament.

She called upon all women and right-thinking men of this country to write to the President requesting him to ``dismiss" Mr. Fernandes from his post and to grant permission for prosecuting him in a court of law for making "demeaning statements against women''.

In a statement released here today, Ms. Natarajan, former Union Minister, said Mr. Fernandes' remark on rape of women before their mothers in Gujarat exposed "the inhuman and callous attitude of the Central Government to the heart-rending atrocities, rape and torture perpetrated against the women of Gujarat".

``There is no State Commission for Women in Gujarat and the National Commission for Women took more than 45 days to even visit Gujarat." Even then, it only tried to explain away the gruesome violence and sexual assault against women in order to protect the Modi government.

Mr. Fernandes' statement was nothing more than ``an attempt to justify rape and sexual violence against women, merely because it has happened in the past".

On behalf of the women of Tamil Nadu, she urged the NDA allies to demand the dismissal of Mr. Fernandes. ``If they fail to condemn the remarks of Mr. George Fernandes, they will be guilty of betraying the women of this country," she added.

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