Women’s Day: Why are you people wishing us, MLA asks

Congress' Khanapur MLA Anjali Nimbalkar called out the pretence in celebrating Women's Day during an emotional speech in the Assembly on Tuesday.

"Why are you people wishing us? For what? Are you uplifting us socially and economically," she asked.

She said this after Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri stopped her from talking about allocation for women in the Budget, saying she will get her chance to speak on that later.

"If you want just a nice speech, then let's just wish each other. Happy Women's Day to all the men because their wives are taking care of their children and that's why they're sitting here (in the Assembly)," she said. "We are taught to smile regardless of how much pain we feel. So, a very happy Women's Day to all once again."

Earlier, Anjali started her speech with a reference drawn from her experience as a gynaecologist. “When a preterm baby is delivered...a seven-month-old female child survives easily in an ICU whereas a male child succumbs. A woman’s struggle starts from birth,” she said. “And, when a girl is born, there’s happiness. All parents start saving...not for her education, but marriage,” she said.

The Speaker interrupted her when she demanded to know what the BJP government’s budget really had to offer to women and the girl child. “You sought an opportunity to speak on Women’s Day. If you want to speak on the budget, you will get your chance. Let’s give you another chance to make a political speech,” Kageri said.

MLAs Roopakala M, Anitha Kumaraswamy, Muzrai Minister Shashikala Jolle and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also spoke. In fact, when Jolle veered into politics, Anjali was quick to ask the Speaker to intervene, and he did.

Bommai said women are, genetically, more honest. “They do their work with honesty. And, they have the skills to make savings,” he said. “Men should introspect and stand by women.”

Want representation? Get elected, says minister

Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa on Tuesday implied he wasn't responsible for scarce women's representation in the Legislative Council. When Eshwarappa announced that he would take a delegation of 25 MLCs elected from Local Authorities to Kerala to study the gram panchayat system there, MLC Thejaswini Gowda asked the minister to take along all three women MLCs, irrespective of whether or not they were elected from Local Authorities. "There are only three of us," she pointed out. To this, Eshwarappa said, "I am not looking at classifying the delegation as men or women. More women should have gotten themselves elected if you want better representation," he remarked.

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