Lucknow women146;s panel pushes a mahakumbh

8216;8216;I am also the Sewa Sansthan8217;s patron,8217;8217; Bajpai explained. And since the Sansthan was organising the Sammelan, she had all the details. What was left unsaid was that the Sammelan is being seen as the SP8217;s effort to woo the Brahmin community in time for the Assembly polls. Interestingly, the Bahujan Samaj Party BSP had called a similar gathering recently.

The move, however, drew flak from other organisations.

8216;8216;All Women8217;s Commission members, including its chairperson, are using the panel as a platform to promote the SP,8217;8217; fumed Madhu Garg, a social activist involved with the All India Women8217;s Democratic Association AIDWA. 8216;8216;They hardly ever show any concern towards women8217;s issues; they are merely SP workers.8217;8217;

Garg alleged that though the Commission is involved in 8216;8216;small cases, their party loyalty comes out in the open while intervening in major cases like the Aashiana rape case.8217;8217;

Alpana Bajpai, a member of the SP women8217;s wing, however, saw nothing wrong in 8216;8216;using8217;8217; the Commission as a platform. 8216;8216;We are all Samajwadi Mahila Sabha members before being part of the government machinery,8217;8217; she said. 8216;8216;And had the chairperson not called this press conference, how would people have known that we, Brahmins, are holding such a huge convention?8217;8217;

Interestingly, the media conference was attended in strength by the Women8217;s Commission members. The invitations were released by the State8217;s Information Department. 8216;8216;This is a gross misuse of official machinery,8217;8217; added Garg.