Date:09/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/09/stories/2007090953720400.htm

Kerala - Alappuzha

Brinda calls upon women to fight discrimination

Staff Reporter

Brinda Karat

ALAPPUZHA: Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat has called upon the members of the All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) (Kerala unit) to unite and fight discrimination and class exploitation.

Inaugurating the AIDWA’s eighth State Conference here on Saturday, Ms. Karat said it was a shame that even after 60 years of independence, discrimination on the grounds of caste, class and religion still existed even among the most educated societies in India. “Except for in the Left, poor women do not have any voice even in politics. The gap between the aspirations of the middle class women and the poor women, who have been the most affected by globalization, is widening. The rulers in Delhi through their spectacles can see only the rich and their policies are for the rich. We have to think whether in our sight, we can see, understand and stand up for the poor and their issues,” she said.

Lauding the Kerala Government’s policies, Ms. Karat said the State was discriminated against by the Centre, as had become evident in the flood relief and railway zone issues.

Ms. Karat also said that there was an ‘atrocious’ attempt to malign women who were in public life. Saying that Kerala Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy was being deliberately targeted through scandalous charges, the CPI (M) leader said women had to show solidarity against such attempts.