India’s Modi: ‘We Hang Our Heads in Shame’ - India Real Time - WSJ
India’s Modi: ‘We Hang Our Heads in Shame’
At a time when women’s rights and men’s attitudes toward rape have returned to the forefront of public debate in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that, “our heads hang in shame when we hear of instances of crime against women.”
In a statement on International Women’s Day, Mr. Modi pledged to “walk shoulder-to-shoulder to end all forms of discrimination or injustice against women.”
His words come a few days after an Indian court touched off a controversy by blocking the screening of a documentary about the gang rape and killing of a young woman in New Delhi in 2012, an incident so brutal it stirred mass protests against sexual violence in India and drew global attention to the dangers women face here.
The court said on Tuesday it was concerned that remarks made in the film by one of the men convicted in the case could create law and order problems. Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh supported the ban in an address to Parliament, sparking vigorous debate about whether the film, “India’s Daughter” released by the British Broadcasting Corp., should be broadcast in India.
Making India a safer place for women was among Mr. Modi’s key campaign promises in elections last year after the 2012 incident – and the then Congress-led government’s slow response, coupled with a police crackdown on protestors – sparked a backlash against the administration.
But Mr. Modi has himself come under fire from women’s rights activists from time to time – starting with matters concerning his own family life, or rather the lack of one. The Indian leader left his wife shortly after the pair’s arranged marriage as teenagers and has never returned to her. In November, six months after he took office, Jashodaben Chiman Modi asked police why she must use the bus when her security detail travels in a government car and what perks she should be getting as the wife of the country’s most-powerful man.
Mr. Modi’s attitude toward women also came under the spotlight in 2013 when an investigation by Indian news websites alleged security officials shadowed a young woman for days at Mr. Modi’s behest when he was chief minister of Gujarat. Indian media dubbed the controversy “Snoopgate.” Mr. Modi has not commented in public about the allegations. His Bharatiya Janata Party has denied the accusations saying the woman’s father requested that his daughter’s movements be monitored.
On Women’s Day Sunday, Mr. Modi’s statement was brief, focusing largely on his government’s initiatives to uplift women. He did not comment on the film or its ban.
The film’s director, Leslee Udwin, urged Mr. Modi to watch “India’s Daughter” and reconsider the ban, according to a report in the Indian Express newspaper. Ms. Udwin said her film’s message mirrored Mr. Modi’s own convictions on the issue of women’s rights.
If Mr. Modi watched it, “he would see his own statements since he got into power reflected in this film,” Ms. Udwin was quoted as saying in the Indian Express. She said the film was saying exactly what Mr. Modi intended to say through his “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign to prevent the practice of aborting baby girls in the womb – and to educate women.
Mr. Modi said the program was “central to our vision of India`s progress and a life of dignity and opportunity for all our citizens.” He also announced the establishment of “one-stop-centers” to assist women who face violence or abuse and a helpline for counselling.
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India’s Modi: ‘We Hang Our Heads in Shame’
At a time when women’s rights and men’s attitudes toward rape have returned to the forefront of public debate in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that, “our heads hang in shame when we hear of instances of crime against women.”
In a statement on International Women’s Day, Mr. Modi pledged to “walk shoulder-to-shoulder to end all forms of discrimination or injustice against women.”
His words come a few days after an Indian court touched off a controversy by blocking the screening of a documentary about the gang rape and killing of a young woman in New Delhi in 2012, an incident so brutal it stirred mass protests against sexual violence in India and drew global attention to the dangers women face here.
The court said on Tuesday it was concerned that remarks made in the film by one of the men convicted in the case could create law and order problems. Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh supported the ban in an address to Parliament, sparking vigorous debate about whether the film, “India’s Daughter” released by the British Broadcasting Corp., should be broadcast in India.
Making India a safer place for women was among Mr. Modi’s key campaign promises in elections last year after the 2012 incident – and the then Congress-led government’s slow response, coupled with a police crackdown on protestors – sparked a backlash against the administration.
But Mr. Modi has himself come under fire from women’s rights activists from time to time – starting with matters concerning his own family life, or rather the lack of one. The Indian leader left his wife shortly after the pair’s arranged marriage as teenagers and has never returned to her. In November, six months after he took office, Jashodaben Chiman Modi asked police why she must use the bus when her security detail travels in a government car and what perks she should be getting as the wife of the country’s most-powerful man.
Mr. Modi’s attitude toward women also came under the spotlight in 2013 when an investigation by Indian news websites alleged security officials shadowed a young woman for days at Mr. Modi’s behest when he was chief minister of Gujarat. Indian media dubbed the controversy “Snoopgate.” Mr. Modi has not commented in public about the allegations. His Bharatiya Janata Party has denied the accusations saying the woman’s father requested that his daughter’s movements be monitored.
On Women’s Day Sunday, Mr. Modi’s statement was brief, focusing largely on his government’s initiatives to uplift women. He did not comment on the film or its ban.
The film’s director, Leslee Udwin, urged Mr. Modi to watch “India’s Daughter” and reconsider the ban, according to a report in the Indian Express newspaper. Ms. Udwin said her film’s message mirrored Mr. Modi’s own convictions on the issue of women’s rights.
If Mr. Modi watched it, “he would see his own statements since he got into power reflected in this film,” Ms. Udwin was quoted as saying in the Indian Express. She said the film was saying exactly what Mr. Modi intended to say through his “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign to prevent the practice of aborting baby girls in the womb – and to educate women.
Mr. Modi said the program was “central to our vision of India`s progress and a life of dignity and opportunity for all our citizens.” He also announced the establishment of “one-stop-centers” to assist women who face violence or abuse and a helpline for counselling.
For breaking news, features and analysis from India, click here and follow WSJ India on Facebook
follow @WSJIndia
