Women's Problem Same Everywhere, says Agatha

By Nishant Sinha

Patna, Aug 23 : "I was concerned when the flight in which I was coming along with other women delegates of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was being considered to be diverted to Kolkata due to inclement weather in Patna.

However, thanks to the Almighty it did not happen and I did not miss the opportunity of coming to Bihar for the first time," said Agatha Sangma, the country's youngest MP and youngest-ever minister in the Union cabinet, on Sunday.

Agatha, the Union minister of state (MoS) for rural development was here to attend the NCP's National Women's Conference.

"I have never been to Bihar earlier,"said Agatha, adding: "Though I have little experience of public life as of now, including the time spent in my home state Meghalaya, I can say that the problems related to women are of same nature be it Meghalaya, North-East or Bihar".

Touching upon the most contentious Bill, the Women's Reservation Bill, which was first introduced in the Lok Sabha (LS) in 1996 and has been pending since then, Agatha said the NCP is fully supported to the cause.

"Our effort would be to see the Bill being passed in the LS," she said amidst applause from the hundreds of women delegates present at the meet.

She said as the present LS was engrossed in some pressing issues such as price hike, the Bill was not tabled in the LS this session. However, she was hopeful that the Bill would be passed soon.

Regarding NCP giving priority to women in the party, Agatha said her elevation to the post of central minister itself speaks of the party giving its due share to the women community.

Earlier, the Bihar unit of NCP's Women Cell passed a resolution at the meeting demanding passage of Women's Reservation Bill, change in state liquor policy, which the women members termed as destroying the social fabric, opening of women police stations across the state, 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs and check on spiralling prices of essential commodities.

NCP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Tariq Anwar, national president of the party's women's wing Nivedita Mane and Bihar NCP Women's Cell president Nitu Singh were present on the occasion.