'Retaliate if Manipur-like incident happens in Maha': Sharad Pawar to NCP's women wing

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar said that his party's women wing activists must be prepared to take to the streets for any major issues and the party must also take a clear stand on it, here on Wednesday.

Addressing the NCP Mahila Aghadi women office-bearers and workers, Pawar said that the country has witnessed the situation in Manipur where women are raped, attacked, killed alive, and all this is happening in India.

"If something like this occurs, the NCP sisters in that area must take to the streets and put an end to it… it is our right to protest on such serious issues," exhorted Pawar.

Again raising the question of 'missing' women and girls in the state, which he had highlighted a few months ago, Pawar said that his party leader has asked a question on this in the Maharashtra legislature's Monsoon Session.

Deshmukh sought to know how many women/ girls have gone missing in Maharashtra between January 1-May 31, 2023.

"To this, the government had given a written reply that 19,533 girls/women were 'missing' during that period. Is this a small number? This is the number of complaints registered at police stations… how many such incidents were not registered," Pawar demanded.

The government data showed 1,433 girls under 18 (minors), and 18,100 were above 18 (majors) who have gone missing, "so how can we remain silent", said Pawar.

Referring to women's reservations in jobs and elected bodies, Pawar said that when he was the Defence Minister of India, he had given quotas to girls in the defence forces despite strong opposition from the heads of army, navy and airforce.

"Today, we see that the January 26 Republic Day parade in New Delhi is performed by girls," Pawar pointed out.

He also rued that his landmark policy when he was the Chief Minister, on women's Right to Property in farmers' families to include the names of both the husband and wife in the 7/12 extract, had not been properly implemented.

The NCP chief also touched on other aspects like closure of schools, lack of government jobs, unfilled vacancies, the trend of contract jobs, etc., as major concerns of the people, and urged women to come and protest against these issues.