BHOPAL: ‘Ek kachori do samosa-In mardon ka kya bharosa,’ the guiding slogan of the recent protests by girl students in Delhi, demanding safety and accountability following cases of sexual violence—seems to have struck a chord with Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Addressing an event at a private university in his home state at Madhya Pradesh’s capital, Bhopal, on Saturday evening, the former chief minister called upon the society to introspect on the issues of safety and dignity of women and girls. Referring to the slogan, “Ek kachori, do samosa, in mardon ka kya bharosa,” he said society must ask why such a situation had arisen where girls felt the need to express distrust towards men.
He said such a slogan should never become meaningful or successful, describing its emergence as a serious matter of concern for the society.
Chouhan pointed out that in several cases, those who look at girls with wrong intentions are not strangers but people known to the family. Such incidents, he said, raise a fundamental question about the direction in which the society is moving.
He emphasised that ensuring the dignity, respect and safety of daughters is not the responsibility of families alone, but of the society as a whole. He also urged men, boys and their parents to introspect. “Why has it come to this that my daughters have to write such a slogan?” he asked, stressing that society must seriously consider where it is heading.
If daughters and sisters cannot trust men, he said, it would be difficult for society and the country to move forward. He called upon everyone to resolve to respect daughters, sisters and mothers. “A woman is like a mother to me and a daughter is like a goddess. I will make every possible effort for the dignity and safety of women and girls,” Chouhan said.
Meanwhile, Hindu religious preacher Dhirendra Krishna Shastri ‘Baba Bageshwar’, who is also the head priest of famous pilgrimage site, Bageshwar Dham in MP’s Chhatarpur district, has warned female devotees against visiting the Dham alone. “I can take responsibility for the security and safety of the hall and temple, but not for the entire pilgrimage site,” he said.
‘Such a slogan should never become meaningful’
Chouhan said such a slogan should never become meaningful or successful, describing its emergence as a serious matter of concern for the society. He said that in several cases, those who look at girls with wrong intentions are known to the family. Such incidents, he said, raise a fundamental question about the direction in which society is headed.
