Women Empowerment: Vijayasai’s Tweet Evokes Criticism

YCP MP V. Vijayasai Reddy took to Twitter to proudly claim that the Centre announced in the Parliament that Andhra Pradesh tops the southern states to have maximum representation of women in the legislative houses.

He said that 8% of the total legislators elected to the legislative houses were women and praised Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for giving prominence to women in all sectors.

Just a couple of days ago, even Jagan, while giving a detailed reply on the new liquor policy in the Assembly, claimed that the YCP government is committed to the welfare of women. He even charged the TDP government with fearing that the YCP government would get close to the women in the state if it could earn more revenue and spend the same on multiple welfare schemes exclusively for them.

The opposition parties and some netizens accused the YCP government of giving no real powers to the women even after inducting them in key positions. They even said that women were being allocating key positions only to make them as dummy heads while some others from Jagan’s coterie wield the power.

Home minister and deputy chief minister Mekathoti Sucharita is rarely visible discharging duties of her ministry. A majority of the government affairs or party issues are dealt by only a handful of YCP leaders like ministers Kodali Nani, Perni Nani, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, MLAs Ambati Rambabu, Vellampalli Srinivas and chief advisor to the government Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, pointed out TDP leaders, adding that all of them are men. Women are just used to adorn the Assembly and for the government to claim they are giving importance to women power, they added.

Important decisions are taken by the powers that be while women leaders are just confined to making the announcements and appearing on the dais, said the opposition leaders. Women empowerment is restricted only for tall claims by the YCP but in reality, they are the least respected.

If Jagan would have given importance to women, his sister Sharmila would not have launched her own political party in Telangana. Jagan seems not to be giving much weightage to even his mother, even while naming her as the honorary president of the YCP, pointed out TDP leaders.