The Nationalist Congress Party on Wednesday said the Maharashtra government's decision to look into issues only of women in inter-faith and inter-caste marriages shows signs of a prejudiced mindset and is a "retrograde" step.
The state government has set up a committee to gather information on the inter-faith and inter-caste marriage couples and maternal families of women involved if they are estranged. The panel head and state minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said the move is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the Shraddha Walkar case.
Walkar, a resident of Vasai in Maharashtra, was allegedly killed by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala in their Delhi flat. He allegedly chopped her body into multiple pieces before disposing of them over several weeks.
NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said it is good the government has plans to provide a platform for women who are in inter-caste or inter-faith marriages to access counselling and resolve issues with their families, especially those who are estranged from their maternal families.
''But the question is why is it limited to only these women? Many women in the state suffer from domestic violence and mental harassment, irrespective of whether they are in inter-caste or inter-faith marriages,'' he said.
Crasto said the government is giving a wrong message and is showing signs of a prejudiced mindset by setting up this panel only to look into issues of women in inter-caste and inter-faith marriages.
"The government must ensure that a panel like this is accessible to all married women who need help from a troubled marriage, irrespective of any religion, caste or faith. If they do not, then it will be clear that this panel is set up with malafide intentions," he said.
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Meanwhile, senior NCP leader and former state minister Jitendra Awhad termed the government's decision a "retrograde step" in a liberal state like Maharashtra.
"What's this rubbish of committee to check inter-caste/religion marriages? Who is govt to spy on who marries whom? In liberal Maharashtra, this is a retrograde, nauseating step. Which way is progressive Maharashtra heading? Stay away from people's private life," he tweeted.
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