BJP’s triple talaq drive rings hollow, punish men for raping Muslim women in riots first

File photo of PM Narendra Modi launches the Ujjwala Yojana in Ballia, UP | narendramodi.in

The popular perception about the BJP’s idea of gender has been one of limiting women to culturally defined roles. But with an increased emphasis on initiatives like Triple Talaq ban, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Ujjwala, the BJP has managed to address and cultivate a female vote bank.

With Triple Talaq, Ujjwala and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, has the BJP appropriated the gender agenda politically?

The Nirbhaya case – which was, of course, symbolic of the dangers and insecurities that women and even infant girls face in our country – created a deep groundswell of revulsion.  The BJP took full advantage of this and the security and safety of women became an important plank of Modi’s campaign in 2014.

Once their government was formed, its slogan of “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” became visible on the walls in every village, small town and city of the country.  As a slogan, it was brilliant in the context of rising female foeticide, murders of women and girls after they had been brutally raped, problems faced by young girls who wanted to pursue their studies and prepare for careers.  But it proved to be not only hollow but the complete opposite of the policies pursued by BJP governments both at the center and state levels.

While it is important to remember the various anti-women statements made by different spokespersons of the Sangh Parivar and BJP governments, it is even more important to understand their ideological underpinnings.  The Sangh Parivar has never made a secret of its opposition to the Constitution of India and its commitment to the precepts contained in the Manusmriti.  It is only natural that they constantly focus on the need to ‘protect’ the honour of women and therefore to save them from self-marriages, activities including careers outside the domestic domain and to ensure that they conform to the norms prescribed by various regressive ‘texts’.

Here are other sharp perspectives on the question BJP’s political appropriation on the agenda of gender  :

Madhu Kishwar: Indian academic and writer

Priyanka Chaturvedi: national spokesperson for the Indian National Congress

Sunalini Kumar: political scientist, Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University

Zakia Soman: activist and founding member of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan

Preservation of caste and religious purity is the most important task that women must fulfill and this, naturally, entails control and seclusion.  As far as women belonging to the minorities are concerned, especially the Muslim women, the Sangh Parivar professes great concern for their rights as can be seen in the way that they are propagating their opposition to triple talaq.  Their concern, however, is more to depict Islam as an extremely misogynist religion.  Their concern for Muslim women crumbles when it comes to punishing those accused of raping Muslim women as has happened most recently during the Muzaffarnagar riots.

It is important to note that the central government has been extremely harsh on women, their health, education and livelihood.  Its budgets have reduced spending on education, health and employment-generating programmes like the MNREGA.  The PDS has been reduced to shambles and lack of Adhaar cards and mismatch of thumb impressions are causing starvation and starvation deaths mostly of women and girl-children.

The real face of the BJP is revealed by the devotions its leaders display to the likes of Ram Rahim and Asaram.

Whatever illusions the BJP may have created among women and democratic sections of Indian society about their commitment to the welfare, security and rights of women, have been shattered by the actions of their governments at the centre and states, by their elected representatives and by various members of their affiliates.

Subhashini Ali is a leader of the CPI (M).