The women leaders met the coordinator of High Level Political Committee (HLPC) coordinator and UPCN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and top leaders from member parties of the HLPC -- UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and United Madhesi Democratic Front (UDMF) -- and submitted their demand letter on Friday. [break]
The women rights groups stepped up their campaign as the percentage of women representation in the new CA is likely to be reduced. “As per the electoral laws, it is certain that the representation of women in the new CA would be reduced to 23 percent.
The previous CA had ensured 33 percent women representation,” CPN-UML leader Radha Gyawali, who is also the coordinator of IPWN, told Republica. “Leaders have promised not to reduce women representation. We will not withdraw our movement without ensuring 33 percent representation of women in the new CA.”
HLPC members, women leaders engage in heated debate
As Gyawali, on behalf of the agitating women organizations, read out the demand letter and submitted it to Dahal, leaders from the two sides engaged in a heated debate.
UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Dahal objected to some wordings in the demand letter as it stated that the top leaders from major political parties showed “patriarchal feudalistic mindset on the issue of institutionalizing women rights.”
“It is a bitter reality that women in Nepal are always at the forefront in every political movement but when it comes to institutionalizing women rights we have to beg. It is so sad that the leaders, who are often men, are like our donors and women beggars,” said Gyawali. “As it is them who decided to reduce women representation, it clearly shows their feudalistic patriarchal mindset.”
Leaders from other parties including NC President Sushil Koirala and UML leader KP Sharma Oli, however, remained silent during the debate.
While around 15 representatives from various women organizations were holding talks with HLPC members inside the International Convention Center, scores of women activists from various organizations were shouting slogans outside the center at New Baneshwar.
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