HYDERABAD: It was real ‘gosa’ (suffering) for the women who were mobilised to attend the BJP’s “Mahila Gosa- BJP Bharosa” dharna which was held at the party’s office in Nampally on Friday, as a rival protest against BRS MLC K Kavitha’s dharna held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
BJP’s Mahila Morcha was successful in mobilising women from around the twin cities to attend the sit-in protest. Some had come from as far as Malkajgiri, Uppal and other areas as well. Some of them had come along with their toddlers and children as well. Not only the chairs in front of the stage were full, but even the lobby was crowded with the participants.
While the Mahila Morcha leaders and workers who were prepared to stay hungry from 11 am to 4 pm seemed energetic in their speeches, the common women who were mobilised, were left hungry and waiting for food.
By 2 pm no food had arrived, and the scene in the lobby was akin to the waiting area in a government hospital. The only difference was that in this event they were participants of a political event and not attendants of patients.
“I had just a cup of tea in the morning and have been here since 10 am. I’m feeling really hungry,” a woman who had come from Malkajgiri told TNIE.
The scene was pitiful as mothers who didn’t get food were seen breastfeeding their infants. It was almost like a scene in a refugee camp. The women were tired and could hardly pay attention to the speeches delivered by the ‘Mahila’ leaders.
Some respite came at 3.30 pm, when packages with ‘a samosa, a kachori and a sweet’ arrived. The women quickly ate the snacks and called it a day even before BJP vice-president DK Aruna concluded the deeksha at 4 pm.
Though some Mahila Morcha leaders tried to get the women to stay till the end, they had enough of the ‘gosa’ and trickled out of the party office.