Ganga Bhagirathi term for widows: It's dangerous plot, says Ex-Maha minister

Former Maharashtra minister and Congress leader Yashomati Thakur on Friday said the state governments proposal to refer to widows as Ganga Bhagirathi was a dangerous plot and conspiracy and alleged that Manuwadi forces were constantly trying to restrain women and other sections of the societyEven today widows face difficulties at many levels and giving new labels to these women will not change their condition she said adding that the government should instead strive to streamline the implementation of schemes for their benefitEarlier this week Women and Child Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha sent a letter to the administration in which he proposed the use of the term Ganga Bhagirathi to refer to widows in a bid to offer them respectI am Yashomati Why should I mention Ganga Bhagirathi before my name I am not Ganga Bhagirathi nor will I ever mention this before my name As we commemorate Dr Babasaheb Ambedkars birth anniversary I want to emphasise that we must not allow such a decision in this state Thakur a former women and child development minister said in a statementI lost my husband and raised my children singlehandedly after his sudden demise Thanks to the Constitution of this country I have earned the right to equality and education Today I am recognised as a free individual The Constitution has granted freedom to all Dalits exploited deprived and women from the chains of slavery However the Manuwadi forces are constantly trying to restrain these sections she addedThis is a dangerous plot and on the birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar let us pledge to thwart this conspiracy Thakur saidMaharashtra has always been at the forefront of raising the banner of progressive thought However in the same state there is a debate about the proposal of calling widows as Ganga Bhagirathi This is a tragedy Intercaste and interreligious marriages were promoted in this state to bridge the caste and religious divide Ambedkar himself advocated for it she saidAlso Read Mumbai Police issues prohibitory order for city ahead of Amit Shahs visitHitting out at minister Lodha for bringing the proposal Thakur said he talks about prohibiting intercaste and interreligious marriages and on other occasions uses the language of GangaBhagirathiThis Manuwadi governments policies are destroying the ideology of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and various saints and ideologies of ShahuPhuleAmbedkarEven today widowed women face numerous difficulties Giving new labels to these women struggling with social constraints will not alter their situation Instead we must strive to streamline the implementation of schemes that benefit them she saidDuring the pandemic the then Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government took the issue seriously and initiated measures to ensure that they could avail the benefits of various schemes under one umbrellaThe government should work with greater sensitivity in this regard she saidVarious discussions revolve around the mention of Ganga Bhagirathi I believe that by starting such a discussion the government is attempting to evade fundamental issues like Adani inflation unemployment agriculture and health We will not allow the government to get away with it We are not Ganga Bhagirathi we are the soldiers of the Constitution We will fight for the fundamental rights of the people and uproot your regressive and Manuwadi ideology she saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever