Women Who Raise Their Voices Often Suppressed: Vinesh Phogat

Congress MLA from Haryana Vinesh Phogat has alleged that women who raise their voices are often suppressed and she had firsthand experience about this.

Phogat along with All India Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba held a press conference on Monday here in support of a Youth Congress leader and her family, Roshni Jaiswal in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, who allegedly thrashed a BJP supporter here over "rape threats" issued by him on social media.

A video was played during the press conference where Jaiswal said that in September she had slapped a man, named Rajesh Kumar, in response to rape threats she received.

Roshni alleged in the video that after this incident, she got a notice for the attachment of her house.

Vinesh Phogat remarked, “As women willing to fight, our fault seems to be our resilience. BJP or UP government officials have yet to respond. While my hope from the BJP government is limited, women like Sakshi Malik and I continue to fight because we know firsthand how voices are suppressed.”

She emphasised that safety for women is paramount, “50 per cent of our population is women, and our rights and safety matter. Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah may forget this, but I will fight till the end.”

Phogat also addressed additional threats reportedly made to Jaiswal, asking, “Why did those in saffron not raise their voices when we were fighting for women’s safety and rights against Brij Bhushan?”

Echoing these sentiments, Alka Lamba said that Jaiswal had previously defended the daughter of a BJP booth president against harassment. She suggested that the BJP intends to "break the strength and voice of women who want to fight back.”

Lamba criticised the Central government’s 'Beti Bachao' initiative as an empty promise. She further asked the Prime Minister if any women got justice in his ten-year tenure.

On asked about the crimes against women in Wayanad, she said that their focus was not limited to a specific state or party. "We aim to amplify the voices of women from every state and our primary goal is to ensure their safety and justice. It is fortunate that Wayanad will be voting for their women MP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who will undoubtedly strengthen our mission," she added.