The All India Democratic Women's Association has pledged to organise a sustained campaign against note ban as the 50-day period sought by the Prime Minister to bring back normalcy after his demonetisation move is reaching its end.
"In the recently held national conference of AIDWA we took stock of various issues affecting the women of this country and the most important issue is demonetisation.
"Demonetisation has adversely affected the entire working class, mostly women in a very serious manner. AIDWA is going to have a sustained campaign on demonetisation and raise the issues being faced by women in villages and cities," newly appointed general secretary of AIDWA Mariam Dhawale said.
"This is notebandi (note ban) and not demonetisation. Women's lives, work, earnings all have been hit. They are in a frenzied situation.
"As the 50-day period announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to an end there is going to be a great spurt in women agitating against this dreadful attack on them and their lives," AIDWA's former president Subhasini Ali said.
Dhawale spoke about incidents in Sholapur and Andhra Pradesh where women associated with self help groups are feeling "terrorised" and being "forced to commit suicide" because of demonetisation.
She also said AIDWA is planning to hold protests pressing for the passage of Women's Reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state Legislative Assemblies.
"The BJP government had promised that they will pass the Women's Reservation Bill but they have not done it. BJP, led by RSS, is extremely anti-women and they do not believe in equality of women and they are not going to pass the bill," Dhawale alleged.
At AIDWA's 11th National Conference, held in Bhopal from December 10 to 14, ten resolutions were adopted on issues like triple talaq, honour killings, demonetisation, universal maternity entitlements, rights of urban women, among others.
AIDWA's central executive committee was re-constituted recently as well. It comprised 99 members and 12 special invitees.
The new CEC elected 32 officer bearers comprising Malini Bhattacharya as president, Mariam Dhawale as general secretary and P K Sreemathi as treasurer. Fifteen vice presidents, eight national secretaries and six assistant secretaries were also elected.
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