Shobha meets CM, wants govt to ensure women's safety

Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Wednesday met Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to discuss issues of women’s safety in the wake of increasing cases of rapes and trafficking.

Karandlaje, who has identified with Yeddyurappa-led Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), was not invited to the BJP Mahila Morcha convention on Wednesday where Shettar announced to sacrifice his constituency for a woman candidate, if reserved.

In her four-page letter submitted to the chief minister, she urged him to take steps to check trafficking of women and keep a vigil on cases of ‘missing’ girls.

In her letter, the minister stated that it was not clear what decision he had taken on her suggestion that amendments be made to laws to provide for stringent punishment to perpetrators of crime against women.

“What is the condition of lakhs of women, including me, who stay alone. What are the measures taken to ensure our safety,” Karandlaje stated in her letter, copies of which were released to the media.

The minister also stated that thousands of women go missing never to return. “Those behind the trafficking of women should be nabbed and punished,” Karandlaje said.
She has also discussed the recent incident of a young woman being lured in Chikkaballapur by some persons, who raped and sold her to a brothel in New Delhi.

In her letter, Karandlaje has made 10 suggestions, including promulgating an ordinance for stringent laws to act as a deterrent for preventing future crime against women. She has also sought the need to put in place a mechanism to curb trafficking of women.

The lone woman minister in the Shettar Cabinet, Karandlaje had caused embarrassment to the government by stating that Karnataka is also not safe for women, and that law and order situation in the State is bad.

She blamed the government for its failure to check increasing cases of atrocities against women.