The lone Congress MP from Gujarat Geniben Thakor has slammed the Maitri Karar, a traditional contract practice of Gujarat to legitimise live-in relationships as ‘dangerous’ that must be ‘abolished’.
Speaking at an event in Patan to felicitate her, the Banaskantha said, “Maitri Karar, which is dangerous, should be abolished. Married daughters and mothers are lured by anti-social elements. Children and the families of women get affected.”
The practice is believed to have originated among upper-caste Hindus in the 1970s.
The OBC leader, felicitated at a mega event by the Samast Uttar Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Samaj in Patan, the district bordering Banaskantha, also once again sought an amendment to the Registration of Marriages Act, 2009 — an issue she had raised earlier in the Vidhan Sabha.
“Signatures of parents should be made mandatory, along with the village head, in love marriages and such marriages should be registered in the villages of the women,” Thakor said.
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Shaktisinh Gohil was also present at the event along with other party leaders.
Referring to the murder of a six-year-old in Dahod, Geniben reiterated her demand — she had earlier raised in Gujarat Assembly — that the government should ensure that separate girls’ schools should be set up with an all-women staff.
Talking about the school principal accused of killing the girl when she resisted a sexual assault attempt, the Congress leader said, “For such mentally deranged people, constitute committees at taluka and district level with a psychologist, retired judge, female police officer and an advocate.” Hitting out at the ruling BJP, she said that the government “continues to sleep in such cases but when an incident happens in West Bengal they take out rallies.”
Echoing the demand raised by other Congress leaders, including Anklav MLA Amit Chavda, Geniben said the state budget allocation should be made as per the population of a particular community. Talking about the letter she recently wrote to the PM, seeking 20% of the 27% OBC quota for extremely backward communities among OBCs, Thakor said, “Many are seemingly not happy with this. But take the example of Patidar, Chaudhary or Rajput community — people in these communities are prosperous, they have erected hostels and high schools for children of their community where they are being educated. The 146 OBC communities pay GST to the state government, the community with higher population pays higher GST and thus we demand a population proportionate budget allocation for OBCs.”
Hitting out at BJP for postponing the local elections, Geniben said that the BJP government, which talks about “one nation, one election” cannot hold local elections in Gujarat.
The MP returned a cheque of Rs 11 lakh offered to her by leaders of the community for construction of a girls’ hostel and school. “I do not need money and if there is money, the government pressures with raids of ED,” she added, targeting the ruling party.
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