Activists, Lakshmi Parvathi take a dig at govt

Visakhapatnam: General secretary of YSRCP Lakshmi Parvathi, women activists from civil society organisations and political parties took a dig at the Telugu Desam Party for the rise in attacks against women, particularly activists for voicing their resentment on several issues that were harming women.

Lakshmi Parvathi and her party members assembled at the Mahatma Gandhi statue opposite GVMC administrative building and raised slogans against the government. She began her protest after garlanding the statue of Gandhi.

Talking to the reporters after the protest, she said attack on women had increased after TDP came to power three years ago. “They are trying to bring in a decadent culture in the name of boosting tourism that degrades women.

When women are protesting, they are brutally suppressing them and throwing into police stations. We strongly condemn such police action,’’ Lakshmi Parvathi said.

At the round-table conference in which women from various civil society organisations and members of political parties participated and formed a Joint Action Committee against Miss Vizag beauty pageant. “We will fight and never allow beauty contests to happen in the city,’’ said AIDWA state president B Prabhavathi and POW president M Lakshmi.

They feared that the police harassment would continue against them but they have decided to continue the fight. Other activists said the news of police brutally on them has spread like a wildfire across the country and many organisations had extended their support. Some organisations are also likely to visit the city during the next week.