Bharat Jodo Yatra: Monday dedicated to showcase women power

Jaipur, Dec 12 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra was dedicated to women power on Monday.

In Sawai Madhopur, women walked with Rahul Gandhi.

Thousands of women including Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi along with her daughter and Mahila Congress president Neta D'Souza participated in the padyatra from Tejaji Maharaj Temple to Pipalwada. During this, Kalbelia dancer Padma Shri Gulabo Sapera also gave her dance presentation.

Moving through the morning session, Rahul Gandhi mainly interacted with two groups. The first interaction was with representatives of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti. They told Rahul Gandhi about the shortcomings of the new education policy of the central government. They said that the government is centralising education whereas it should be further decentralised.

The second conversation was with the people of the eunuch community of Kota. They told him that the Rajasthan government has released a budget of Rs 10 crores for the upliftment of the transgender community. Arrangements should be made to ensure that this money reaches the community in the right way. Along with this, the schemes run by the government for the upliftment of eunuchs should be better publicised to make them reach the people.

At 11 a.m., Congress MP and the party's communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh addressed a press conference along with women public representatives and party officials. He said that after Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, today only women are walking with Rahul Gandhi to demonstrate women power in Rajasthan.

Mamta Bhupesh, Minister of Women and Child Development in the state government, said that inflation affects women the hardest. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is to raise a voice against inflation. That's why women are walking step by step with Rahul Gandhi.

Rajasthan State Commission for Women president Rehana Riaz said that today a large number of women walked with Rahul Gandhi to raise their voice against communalism and unemployment.

Mahila Congress chief Neta D'Souza said that by giving 35 percent reservation in panchayats, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi empowered women politically.

MLA Divya Maderna said that after Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, only women in Rajasthan have been given a chance to walk in the yatra, it shows that Rahul Gandhi wants to empower them politically. I am myself a product of Rahul Gandhiji's thinking who gave me a ticket and gave me an opportunity to serve as a MLA, she added.

Baran district chief Urmila Jain Bhaya and Rachna Samleti, sarpanch of Samleti gram panchayat in Dausa district, said that if Rajiv Gandhi had not provided for reservation in panchayats, she would not have been able to join electoral politics.

In response to a question during the press conference, Jairam Ramesh said that Rajiv Gandhi gave one-third reservation to women in panchayats. When Manmohan Singh was in government, the Congress party got the Women's Reservation Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha. That bill is still lying in the Lok Sabha. The Modi government has completed 8 years but they haven't tried to pass it yet.

A large number of women participated in the padyatra in the evening session also. During this, girl footballers from Ajmer also accompanied Rahul Gandhi.