AAP holds 'Mahila Adalat'; BJP, Cong slam politics over women safety

New Delhi  (The Uttam Hindu): On the 12th anniversary of the brutal Nirbhaya gangrape, the ruling AAP on Monday launched a campaign called ‘Mahila Adalat’ to highlight crimes against women in Delhi. The move invited stinging criticism from the Opposition BJP and the Congress which called it a political gimmick. The AAP ‘Mahila Adalat’ was organised at Thyagraj Stadium where the ruling party’s former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal initiated a dialogue on women's security and used the platform to highlight the allegedly poor law and order in Delhi. Apart from AAP leaders, the event was attended by Samajwadi Party President and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav.

Chief Minister Atishi said in a post on X, “For how long will the daughters and women of Delhi live in the shadow of fear? Even today, women in the capital do not feel safe to leave their homes. Three-four rapes every day, more than 11 kidnappings, 14,000+ crimes against women in a year.” “These are not just statistics, these are the reality of the BJP-ruled Central government which has failed to maintain law and order in Delhi! The only job of the BJP-ruled Central government is to provide security to the people of Delhi and women, but it has completely failed in this too,” she wrote. “Now, through the Mahila Court, women themselves will raise their voices for their safety, respect and rights. Now the women of Delhi will not sit silent,” wrote CM Atishi. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Devender Yadav said that it was ironic that Kejriwal, who came to power capitalising on the Nirbhaya incident, was forced to hold a “Mahila Adalat” on women’s security 11 years after he formed his first government. “It is a clear confession that he had failed to protect women, and he was passing the buck for his failures to others,” said Yadav. He said that women’s safety and security had been compromised in Delhi a long time ago and Kejriwal should have taken up this matter with the Union Home Minister much earlier, instead of waiting for the Assembly elections to come to make political capital out of it. Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva criticised the AAP, stating that the platform used today to make grand claims about women’s respect is tainted by allegations against the attendees and their families, whether it be Arvind Kejriwal or Akhilesh Yadav.

The Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha office-bearers even held a protest near Kejriwal’s residence to protest against the presence of Akhilesh Yadav at the Nirbhaya Memory Day Programme. Sachdeva said Kejriwal, the brain behind organising Mahila Adalat, could have demonstrated his commitment to justice by taking action against his colleague Bibhav Kumar and giving justice to Swati Maliwal who was beaten by the former at CM's residence. However, Kejriwal continues to maintain silence on the matter, said the Delhi BJP chief. He added that by inviting Akhilesh Yadav to the Nirbhaya Day programme, Kejriwal had disrespected the memory of Nirbhaya. The Delhi BJP President questioned how Kejriwal could hold a Mahila Adalat programme alongside Akhilesh Yadav, given that his father, Late Mulayam Singh Yadav, infamously defended individuals accused of crimes against women, dismissing their actions by saying, “Boys make mistakes.” “If Kejriwal had any moral integrity, he would have used the Mahila Adalat platform today to demand an apology from Akhilesh Yadav on behalf of his father’s statements,” Sachdeva remarked. He criticised Kejriwal for diverting attention from Delhi’s real issues and said that despite such attempts, the public, particularly women, would not be distracted. Sachdeva said, “Kejriwal should realise that this election in Delhi is decisive, and this time, women have resolved to vote for the BJP.”