On the 14th of March, as part of the celebrations of the Centenary of International Women’s Day, the Mumbai Committee of Lok Raj Sangathan organized a discussion at Marathi Granth Sangrahalay, Dadar, on the important question of “What is the way forward for women’s emancipation?”
Activists from the Purogami Mahila Sangathan, the Communist Ghadar Party of India, Jagrut Ghar Kamgar Sangathan, Yuva Bharat, Keyur Mahila Mandal, PUCL, CPI, Teesra Swatantra Abhiyan, and Bharat Swabhiman Andolan participated actively.
The discussion was held in a warm and cordial atmosphere and the activists exchanged their views on this most important question. The first presentation was from the representative of PMS. She explained that the source of women’s oppression is not men, but this unjust social system that is based on the exploitation of the many by the handful. It is essential for women to make common cause with the working class and with all those who are exploited and oppressed, and to fight to usher in a society where the rights of each and every individual would be realised.
The representative of the CGPI explained that the oppression of women began historically with the division of society into classes. The task of the women’s movement is therefore to fight for the establishment of a classless society, whose first stage is socialism.
The representative of Lok Raj Sangathan explained that the Women’s Reservation Bill is a diversion, which will not change the condition of women in the country. It gives the illusion of power. Women have to fight along with all the other disempowered sections to fundamentally renew our system. They have to fight for real power, not for an illusion.
