NCW intervenes according to sheer political convenience of BJP: TMC's Sushmita Dev

She said several challenges in its structure, autonomy and approach have hindered NCW’s effectiveness but 'what is more damaging' is its 'loss of credibility and objectivity'.

New Delhi: Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev on Friday sought a review of the working of National Commission for Women (NCW) by a Parliamentary panel, claiming that the watchdog is displaying “blatant disregard” for its neutral status and intervenes according to “sheer political convenience” of the ruling BJP.

In a letter to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women and Child Development chairperson Digvijaya Singh, the West Bengal MP said several challenges in its structure, autonomy and approach have hindered NCW’s effectiveness but “what is more damaging” is its “loss of credibility and objectivity”.

“In recent times, NCW has been displaying blatant disregard for its neutral status and intervenes according to sheer political convenience of the ruling party. It becomes hyperactive when there are allegation of rape in states where the Opposition parties are in power like West Bengal but forgets to visit Assam where a seven-year-old gets raped in Tinsukia,” she said.

“Shattering its neutrality, the NCW Chairpersons name Opposition-ruled Chief Ministers by politically attacking them, but does not visit Manipur for almost four months, where women were paraded naked and raped,” she said in the letter. Assam and Manipur, before imposing President’s Rule, are ruled by the BJP.

Deb alleged that the power to take suo motu notice is exercised “selectively” to favour parties in power and referred to NCW not taking suo motu cognizance of protest by Olympian women wrestlers against a BJP MP and instead telling them to file a police complaint.

The incidents like the repeated rape of a 13-year-old girl in Haridwar, gangrape of a seven-year-old girl in Tinsukia and a doctor being dragged out and tied to a tree for treating the mother of a victim expose how NCW has become “politically coloured”, she claimed.

She referred to Parliament’s Committee on Empowerment of Women calling for a review of the NCW Act, 1990 to make it more stronger, political and effective and the government bringing a Bill in 2014 to revamp NCW, which was later dropped.

Deb said amendments should be considered to the existing law on NCW to introduce checks and balances to ensure that power is not used only to target political opponents of the ruling party.

Highlighting NCW’s financial dependency on the Ministry of Women and Child Development, she said though its recommendations are often ignored or even dismissed, the parties in power influence the NCW to cherry pick incidents for field visits and media bytes.

“...NCW lacks both legal strength and institutional prestige and to that the lack of neutrality. To safeguard the rights of women, the NCW should be empowered and made accountable for its activities,” she added.