Smriti Irani, who heads the Ministry of HRD will soon have another major headache. The clandestine move to scuttle the country’s most successful women’s education and empowerment programme, Mahila Samakhya, may backfire, as lakhs of rural women from some 11 states have initiated a postcard campaign to demand answers from the Modi government.

Representatives from federations in the 21 Mahila Samakhya districts in Bihar had one challenge for Modi: Come clean and tell us why you want to shut down one of India’s most successful women’s programmes.

The women’s voices were direct and unambiguous, said Vibha Devi from Muzaffarpur, “Modi ji, give Bihar your ‘sava lakh crore’ package later. First tell us why Bihar’s two lakh women and two lakh girls haven’t received their rightful funds of Rs 13 crore, which should have been disbursed in April 2015”

Sumitra Devi from Sitamarhi threw a challenge to the Prime Minister, “ You want to shut down Mahila Samakhya, which has been instrumental in empowering 22 lakh women and 10 lakh adolescent girls in Bihar, so why don’t you come clean and mention this clearly in your Bihar rallies? What’s the meaning of quietly stopping our funds and shutting down Mahila Samakhya programme?”

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Rajkuari Devi from Sheohar posed a question, “Modi ji, is the reason behind shutting down the programme is that 98 percent of its members are women from backward, Mahadalit, minority, and Adivasi communities, surely that’s not the reason?”

Meena devi from Bhojpur asks whether the ‘good days of the Modi Sarkar’ mean the shutting down of one of the most successful women’s empowerment programmes on its silver jubilee year? The Modi government has a ‘good days’ slogan but delivers bad days. Only Kiran Ghai (BJP) has raised her voice supporting Mahila Samakhya.

The rural women from Bihar are ready to give Smriti Irani and her HRD ministry a tough fight.

Interesting times ahead.

  Bihar mahila samakhya society