Women

THE streets of Udaipur, Rajasthan were festooned with AIPWA flags, and women's movement posters to welcome the delegates from all over the country to the 8th AIPWA National Conference. All the participants in the Conference had Comrade Srilata Swaminathan very close to their hearts. Comrade Srilata, who had been AIPWA National President, passed away on February 5, 2017. She had always wanted to see an AIPWA National Conference at Rajasthan, which was the state where she had spent most of her life as a communist activist.

WE sympathise with the anguish and anger of Jyoti's parents, which may feel somewhat assuaged if her assailants are hanged. But the State that fails women in every way, every day, should not be allowed to absolve its sins by taking lives and draw our attention away from the substantive changes that the State and society must ensure to make women's lives more safe from violence, and more free.

AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari, Bihar State President Saroj Chaube, State Secretary Shashi Yadav and State Joint Secretary Anita Sinha condemned the arrest of women and obstruction by the police of peaceful dharnas organized by women’s organizations on 16 December. They demanded that the police and administration should concentrate on curbing rapists and criminals and not spend their energy in repressing protests. The more they repress protests, the more the protests will grow and spread.

THE 3rd AIPWA District Conference was organized at Lalbagh in Sitapur on 26 October 2019. The conference venue was named Rama Gairola Hall and the conference was dedicated to the memory of Comrade Tarawati.

THE All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) organized a convention on ‘Oppression against Women and Challenges facing us’ at Byron Bazaar, Raipur on 2 November 2019. Women from various districts in Chhattisgarh participated in the convention.

THE All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) organized a symposium on the topic ‘Where are the women’s questions in this election?’ on 9 April 2019 at Darbhanga House in Patna University. Addressing the symposium, CPIML Polit Bureau member and AIPWA National Secretary Kavita Krishnan said that if the BJP wins the 2019 election, women will lose all their hard-won rights. Therefore, the first priority for us women is to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha election 2019. The people will on no account give such forces another opportunity to rule the country.

Uttar Pradesh: International Women’s Day was observed across Uttar Pradesh. At Lucknow, AIPWA organized a march from Bakshi ka Talaab (BKT) to the Collector’s office at Indora Bagh. The march reverberated with slogans against terrorism, warmongering, and the politics of hate and divisiveness. The march which culminated in a meeting at Indora Tehsil HQ was led by AIPWA District Convener Meena and Joint Convener Kamla Gautam.

ON 7 March, the eve of International Women’s Day, the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) and All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) held a public hearing at Jantar Mantar. Working women from all over Delhi and different sectors like sanitation workers, domestic workers, scheme workers, agricultural workers participated and spoke at the Public Hearing. The Public Hearing had a distinguished panel of jurists which included Prof. Tanika Sarkar, Historian, Dr.

THOUSANDS of women came out on the streets across Bihar in a hartal (strike) on 8 March 2019 to demand justice for the victims in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case and the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The hartal was organized by AIPWA and supported by AISA and RYA.

ALL India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) organized a protest in Patna demanding resignation of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in light of the orders issued by the POCSO court to investigate Nitish Kumar in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case. The march began from CPIML office and reached Dakbunglow Chowraha where it culminated into a public meeting. The march was led by National General Secretary of AIPWA, Meena Tiwari, Patna city secretary Anita Sinha, comrades Samta Rai, Vibha Gupta and others women leaders. Several women participated in the march.