CPI(M) installs, then removes Benazir Bhutto hoarding

Kerala

By K A Shaji

January 6, 2023

The Benazir Bhutto Square in Thiruvananthapuram, set up for the national conference of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), courted controversy.

Kerala

The inscriptions laud Bhutto as the first woman prime minister of Pakistan who won honorary doctorates from nine universities, including Harvard.

Kerala

BJP reminded the organisers of the event that the late prime minister of Pakistan was known for her infamous vow to wage a 1,000-year war with India.

Kerala

“What is the rationale of the AIDWA projecting Benazir as a woman who received doctorates from nine universities?” asked BJP spokesperson Sandeep Vachaspati.

Kerala

“Many women in India hold more degrees, and they are not just conferred ones.”

Kerala

“We strongly objected to her anti-India remarks,” explained AIDWA vice-president TN Seema. “This is a different context.”

Kerala

Across Kerala, the AIDWA has erected numerous portraits of significant women, and Bhutto is just one among them.

Kerala

There is a special session at the conference to recall legendary Indian women such as Phulora Mondal, Sheela Butana, Samyukta Shetty, Shakuntala, and Revathi.

Kerala

There are no such attempts to offer tributes to Bhutto, explained Seema.

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The topics to be discussed at the conference include the Freedom Struggle and Women’s Movement, the National Education Policy and Climate Change.

Kerala