Cong raises doubts over women empowerment under present regime

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday alleged that under the present BJP-led regime at the Centre there is a big question mark on issues like women empowerment, bringing women in the mainstream and their upliftment.

While addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Congress leader Ragini Nayak said that the atmosphere in the country at present is turning out to be not so good for the women.

"In the past six months there have been over 24000 FIRs in rape incidents out of which only 4 per cent that is around 900 cases have been disposed of by the police," she said. Pointing to Uttar Pradesh, Nayak said that the state stands first when it comes to the highest number of such crimes that is 3,457 out of which only 22 FIRs have been disposed of so far. She further said that the grand old party takes this as its responsibility and is going to continue the fight for gender justice and empowerment and will also continue to fight for survivors of such crimes and their battle for justice. "We will make sure to stand with such women to take up their fight," the Congress leader said. The Congress further alleged that the UP Police is acting on the directions of the government and said that in the matter of Azamgarh where school students were made to clean premises with a broom and a lawsuit was filed against a journalist who reported it. "The kind of practices presently prevalent in the state is not in favour of women. Rather, they are contrary to PM Narendra Modi's slogan of Beti Bachao Beti Padao," she said. The Congress leader questioned as to why the state administration comes alive and act on such matters only when a direction is issued by the court.