July 25, 2005

Roadside taporis

Several organizations in Bombay issued a press release yesterday. Here are some excerpts.

***

When the dance bar bill got debated in the house some of us had been present to listen to the debate. This is what we witnessed:
  • Isha Koppikar. she is an atom bomb, attttom bomb.
  • chutiyas, bhadwas.
  • these women who dance naked, they don't deserve any sympathy.
  • these women loot men and destroy their houses.
  • these women who are opposing the ban, we will make their mothers dance.

These seem like statements from some sleazy dialogue that roadside taporis indulge in.

Very sadly, these are statements made by our people's representatives on the floor of the house in the Vidhan Sabha. This was the third last day of the monsoon session. The contempt that was shown to all women in this session was appalling. The last comment is on all women's groups who had opposed the ban. What we have produced here is only a sample. Throughout the discussion, across party lines, the elected members made such comments while ostensibly passing a bill to protect women's dignity!

One representative narrated an incident of his friend's daughter who had committed suicide because she did not get a job. He said it was more dignified to commit suicide than dance in bars. The house applauded. ...

As women's organisations of Maharashtra, we are extremely angered by the insensitivity and anti-women statements and atmosphere in the house. The undercurrent of the comments and discussions was pornographic and obscene and was greeted with laughter and sniggering by the predominantly male House. So much for protecting the Constitutional mandate of protecting the dignity of women.

Women are more than 50% of the voters of this state. The utter disregard to the feelings and dignity of women exhibited by our so-called representatives is disgusting and needs total condemnation.

Signed by: Forum Against Oppression of Women, Majlis, Awaaz-E-Niswan, Akshara, India Centre for Human Rights and Law, Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes, LABIA

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is not surprising coming from the calibre of the people who occupy the Vidhan Sabha. I would not be surprised if these people exploit women in places other than Dance bars.

Shobha said...

Yea....all they know is to make populist statements. Ask them to support the girls' families who would be left penniless following the ban. Scumbags!

Sunil said...

Shocking....almost. The statements are shocking, but seeing who it's coming from, not so shocking.

Maybe the various womens' organizations can go around garlanding these "leaders" outside parliment with chappals.

gawker said...

The ban on dance bars is more about our patriarchal society wanting to keep women under it's control than maintaining the dignity of women. Oh, and their favorite recourse is the "maa behen" line. The "maa behen" line is so freakin ridiculous. If every male had to look at every woman like she were his maa or behen, the human race would die out.

Ankur said...

yes its better to commit suicide than dance in bars,,but i have even a better thing/idea...is to blow off such ppl like a human bomb..2 in 1 thing..suicide and u resduce the burden on earth of one scum bag.

Anonymous said...

Horrible!

Anonymous said...

Really shocking.

Amit said...

God Bless My country.... God Help my Country.... God - Where are thee?

Anonymous said...

Disgusting behaviour by our elected netas. The whole lot must be thrown out and replaced with a foreign ruler.... as Dilip's hinted in past.

Anonymous said...

Like everyone above, I'm not too surprised either. Here's what I found surprising though:

1. This happened "across party lines"!!
Well, if so, I should reduce my criticism of the pinkos. At least they bring some diversity in the house. I always curse them, but, if one of them, say Brinda Karat, was a member of the Sabha, we would have at least seen some better discussion.

2. No one has done anything about this!!
NDTV, ToI, Indian Express, Rediff, Zee News have not brought this up at all? They should and they should ensure the guys who uttered those words are not re-elected. It should serve as a lesson for the rest. What is democracy for?

Forgive me - these are but the ramblings of an idealistic, innocent and naive foreign-returned college student.

-Vijay

SillyBahrainiGirl said...

this really is scary.. one wonders where those people's reps really come from...and why don't the sane voices ever rise?

and why get mothers involved in everything? we will make their mothers dance indeed!

things will never progress as long as there are such mentalities and people who have appointed themselves as the upkeepers of good and virtue in this world..

and then they ask: why are we wtill third world countries.. third and fourth and fifth if u allow me!

an angry blogger from a part of the world where women are yet to have a voice