Kathmandu, June 20 :

Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare, Urmila Aryal, today said she would join women activists in their agitation against the exclusion of women in committees formed by the government recently.

Addressing a programme at the Reporters’ Club, aryal said: “The government move is unjust, impractical and against the declaration of the House of Representatives. I am always with the women; I am ready to resign, write a note of dissent, talk to the party leadership or take to the streets for the 51 per cent of the women population in the country.” She added that the decisions taken by the constitution drafting committee were surprising as they never came from the Cabinet. “The seven political parties could not keep their promise on women’s participation in the affairs of the state. I am surprised that the Maoists also denied justice to womenfolk,” she said.

Sarita Giri of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi) said the developments on the political front in the past two weeks have proved that none of the political parties are interested in bringing about gender equality. Kalpana Dhamala of Nepal Women’s Association-Revolutionary, the women’s wing of the Maoists, also expressed dissatisfaction on the formation of the committees without due representation of women.

NC-D leader Uma Adhikari criticised the Nepali Congress and the NC-D for ignoring women in the affairs of the government. She said the people’s wish was to form a government with the inclusion of all ethnic communities, Madheshis, women and other backward communities.