In ma-in-law’s defence

A few days ago Rajya Sabha discussed the issue of atrocities against women. The home minister cited statistics to show that most case of cri...

A few days ago Rajya Sabha discussed the issue of atrocities against women. The home minister cited statistics to show that most case of crimes and atrocities against women occur within the peripheries of their own homes, at the hands of their own husbands and relatives. Women’s empowerment and education were two solutions suggested in the discussion, and it was felt that the domestic violence bill passed in the last session of Parliament could go a long way in checking and preventing such cases.

I chose to raise a different issue that is often overlooked, that is, women committing atrocities against other women. In most cases of domestic violence, our legal authorities are overwhelmingly biased in favour of daughters-in-law, as though mothers-in-law are neither women nor susceptible to any atrocity at the hands of their daughters-in-law.

In cases involving the death of young married women, the police feel obliged to register a case of possible harassment for dowry, often at the behest of the deceased’s parents, and voluntarily at other times. Just because the law gives them a free hand, the police never bother to find out if the mother-in-law was involved or not. Invariably she is sent to judicial custody. Women from poor families cannot afford legal advice, and are often doomed to a lifetime of confinement.

Story continues below this ad

I am amazed how this startling reality affecting lakhs of helpless women in our country has escaped the most vocal and powerful of NGOs and women activists.

MPs who can spend

The MPLAD fund scheme has become controversial for all the wrong reasons. I am of the firm opinion that the scheme should not be scrapped. There is not a single government scheme completely free of aberrations in its execution. A solution should rather aim at removing the aberrations, not doing away with the scheme altogether.

The country allocates Rs 52,000 crore for rural development through hundreds of schemes under several ministries. A substantial sum is allocated to urban development. But nobody can guarantee that the funds allocated and shown as spent are actually spent the way they are shown to be. After all, Rajiv Gandhi’s famous observation rings true even today: out of every rupee spent by the government, only 15 paisa reach the intended beneficiary.

In comparison, the Rs 1,600 crore MPLAD scheme is far more effective. My personal experience shows that despite the mandatory embezzlement by officials, contractors and engineers, around 80 per cent of the money is actually spent on commissioned work.

Leave Sourav alone

Story continues below this ad

Protesting against Sourav Ganguly’s exclusion from the Indian cricket team, a senior MP from West Bengal had this to say — Sourav is Bengali, and I am Bengali, therefore I will take the matter to Parliament. What my respected colleague Gurudas Dasgupta needs to realise is that Sourav was the captain of the Indian cricket team, and among the greatest ones at that. Sourav’s fans were never limited to the state of West Bengal. Coming from influential persons such as Dasgupta, such statements of deep-rooted parochialism actually cause harm to Sourav.

Rajiv Shukla is a Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha

Canada, UK and Australia formally recognise a Palestinian state

World3 hr ago

The UK, Canada, and Australia have recognized Palestine as a state, going against the US and Israel's opposition. British PM Starmer aims to revive peace without Hamas and hostage release. Canada and Australia also recognize Palestine, condemning terrorism. Over 145 UN members recognize Palestine, with France likely to join soon.

View all shorts

Live Blog