Mahila Congress presidents of six northeastern states came together in Guwahati on Sunday to condemn Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent claim that women in the state had to “lose their chastity” to secure government jobs during the Congress regime.
Demanding a public apology from Sarma, the women leaders said they would lodge complaints with the National Commission for Women (NCW) and their respective state women’s commissions, and also press for a CBI probe into the chief minister’s “unsubstantiated, disrespectful and troubling” statement.
They also announced the formation of the North East Women Forum to collectively address women’s issues in the region.
The leaders questioned Sarma’s moral authority in making such a claim, pointing out that he was part of the Congress-led government until 2015. They asked why he had remained silent then and why he was now making public such a serious allegation without providing any proof.
Sunday’s press conference was addressed by the Mahila Congress presidents of Assam, Mira Borthakur; Tripura, Sarbani Chakravarty; Mizoram, Gogbinliani Diyani; Nagaland, Akumla Pogem; Meghalaya, Jopiyn Scott Shylla; and Manipur, Mutum Sarma Devi, on behalf of the newly-formed North East Women Forum.
Meghalaya Mahila Congress president Shylla said: “This shocking and unsubstantiated statement has caused absolute outrage among women in Assam and across the northeast. The claim is not only baseless but deeply insinuating, insulting the dignity, integrity and sacrifices of countless women who have entered public service on the basis of merit.”
“Such statements fuel a culture of sexism and must be publicly condemned. The women of the northeast and the country deserve justice, dignity and truth,” she added.