Women’s organisations vow to stop beach love fest

Visakhapatnam: Several women’s organisations announced their determination to stop the government proposed Beach Love Festival, scheduled to be held on the eve of Valentine’s day on February 14. They also served ultimatum to the Chief Minister that they would intensify the agitation if the proposal for the festival was not shelved.

Even changes in the events would not be accepted, they said in one voice at the round-table meeting held at Mahatma Gandhi statue premises near RTC Complex here on Tuesday.

Initiating the debate, M Laxmi of Progressive Organisation for Women (POW) said the women took strong exception to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s statement that the government would go ahead with the beach love festival.

“It is shocking. Until yesterday the government officials had been saying that the festival was being organised by Positive Global Consultants, a private organisation and the government was yet to decide on the permission. Today the Chief Minister himself announced that the government would organise the festival and it would be innovative without denigrating the Indian tradition and culture,’’ she said.

In the recent Partnership Summit, traditional dances and programmes impressed the foreign delegates and now what kind of innovative prorgrammes would be conducted to attract the same foreigners, she asked.

Does innovation mean bringing young couples and make them sleep in the tents on the beach? Or make them drink and dance semi-clad ?,’’ Laxmi said.

Social activist D Lalitha said the violence against women was increasing all over the country and the women’s organisations had been fighting with their might.

Under these circumstances, it is improper on the part of the State government to organise love festivals, catwalks and beauty contests that would encourage more violence against women.

It is the duty of the government to find the reasons for the violence against women and control it. But it is encouraging violence by way of organising beach love festivals,’’ Lalitha said.

District president of AIDWA (All India Democratic Women’s Association) B Prabhavathi said the government, instead of bringing attitudinal changes among the youth to contain the violence against women, was organising programmes that treat women as commodities.

YSRCP women’s wing president P Usha Kiran, Mahila Congress president Pedada Ramani Kumari, S V Ramana of Dalit Vimukti and A Vimala of NFIW spoke on the occasion. Representatives of BJP Mahila Morcha and TDP Mahila wing were present.