Maharashtra's women and child development minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, has proposed a new term, Ganga Bhagirathi, to honour widowed women. A letter written on Wednesday to his department's principal secretary in which Lodha made the proposal has gone viral on social media.
Congress slammed Lodha and sought his apology, while several social activists said the need of the hour was to undertake measures for equal rights and social safety for women rather than such superficial and unwarranted decisions.
Slamming the idea, the Maharashtra Congress said it revealed the BJP's Manuvadi thought process and was the party's attempt to demean widows. State Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said Lodha was a kalank (blot) on progressive Maharashtra ands must apologise to women.
Londhe also said the state had seen several movements to bring about social reform, including one that began in Herwad gram panchayat two years ago to ban widowhood rituals.
Terming the decision as painful, Nationalist Congress Party Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule said it must scrapped immediately. Meritorious women like Rajmata Jijabai, Ahilyabai Holkar, Savitribai Phule contributed a lot to the society. While deciding on such a sensitive issue the government should have consulted NGOs, individuals and organisations working for welfare of widows.
In the letter, Lodha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested the concept of referring to persons with disabilities as divyang, which resulted in such people gaining respect in society. Prepare a detailed proposal for a discussion on the use of the word Ganga Bhagirathi for widows on similar lines.