At a program, organized in the capital by NSU on Friday, senior NC leader Sujata Koirala accused her party leadership of being patriarchal and not being serious enough about Nepali women´s concerns. [break]
"When I opposed yesterday´s election ordinance which proposes the reduction women representation from 33% to 25%, the party leadership took my stance as a joke”, she said.
Vice-Chairman of CPN (UML) Bidya Bhandari cast her doubt if fresh CA polls would not held peacefully and on the scheduled date of November 19.
“I am stunned by yesterday’s decision to hold CA elections by reducing the seats for women”, Bhandari said. She said the women leaders would obstruct the fresh CA poll process, if the number of seats for women is not increased to at least 33% as it was in the first CA.
Bhandari said, “Nepali political structures are not serious at the concerns of women and still they are male-dominated”.
Various student leaders shed light on the role of women in national and international politics. A woman NSU student leader Shova Bhandari said that her student union was treating female students with pity rather than respecting them for their talents.
“At the time of division of party works, only male student activists get higher posts at NSU elections”, she said. NSU leader of Trichandra College Srijana Bhatta accused NSU leadership of only being good at words but not in action. “NSU shows concerns towards representation and rights of women students at words only”, Bhatta said. Mina Shreshtha of Patan Campus, said that she had been overlooked in the party. “We are as capable as men but the wing don’t trust us”, she said.
Apart from CPN (UML) student wing, All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANFSU), Vice-Chairman Nabina Lama also accused her wing of being male dominated. “Our student union doesn’t dare to give leadership and due upper positions to women”, she said.
Chairman of Nepal Student Union Ranjit Karna said that he was ready to accept the leadership under women students. “In the upcoming NSU elections, we are going to reserve 33 % seats for women. We are serious about female students´ representationin NSU central committee, and we will probably increase seats for them in upcoming elections”, Karna said.
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