BJP women’s unit workers at the party conference . Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

Jamshedpur, Jan. 5: The women’s wing of the state unit of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) today criticised the political parties for not coming forward to solve women’s issues. They also demanded a 50 per cent reservation for women.

The state president of the women’s wing of BJP, Usha Jha, said political outfits were giving little attention to issues plaguing women.

She was speaking at the one-day conference of the women’s wing of district BJP held in the city today. Jha said: “The fair-sex will not be treated at par with her male counterparts till they earn equally as men. And this is only possible only when the job quota for women in both public and private sector is increased to 50 per cent. It is a paradox that political parties include women’s issues in their election manifesto but when its come to implementation, their attitude changes.”

Citing the example of reservation of seats for women in Parliament, she said the issue is yet to be resolved since most of the parties are against it. “Even those parties headed by women are evading struggles for women uplift,” she said.

Today’s conference was organised by the women’s wing of district BJP to ensure larger participation of urban women in party work and to create awareness about their rights.

Raising local issues in the conference, district president of women’s wing of BJP, Rajpati Devi demanded a 20-bed hospital in Potka-Patambda block.

State vice-president of the women wing Madhulika Mehta said women electorate could play a decisive role during polls and decide the fate of candidates.

“Women has to play a more positive role in elections as larger participation of women in Parliament means a redress of women’s issues at a faster pace,” Mehta said. District president of BJP, Abhay Singh, addressing the women volunteers of the party said: “Strategies should be prepared for larger participation of women in decision-making process and involving them in the political stream.”

Resolutions were also passed by the office bearers of BJP women’s wing to ensure 50 percent reservation in private and public sector and construction of hospital in Potka-Patamda block at the earliest.