THE first Telangana state conference of the All India Democratic Women’s Association was held in Hyderabad on September 27-29, 2014 with great enthusiasm. A public meeting was held on September 27 preceding the conference. The meeting was presided over by B Hymavathi, state president of AIDWA. The national general secretary of AIDWA, Jagmati Sangwan, speaking on the occasion said that the BJP during elections had promised corruption free governance, protection to women and talked of good days coming, but even after 100 days good days are not visible and there is no progress on women’s problems. Women’s protection has been forgotten. Attacks on them continue. Food security has deteriorated. The ICDS scheme is not provided with sufficient funds. Liquor flows freely. NREGA is sought to be weakened. Section 498A of Anti dowry Act is sought to be diluted. The central government is serving the corporate interests only, she said. Pressure is put on girls to marry by 15 years of age by khap panchayats. About bringing Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha, the UPA government failed but NDA also is silent on it, she said. Women need to utilise modern technology and make use of social media, internet. She called upon the conference to create awareness among women on their problems and bring them into struggles. Mallu Swarajyam, AIDWA senior leader of Telangana Armed Struggle fame, addressing the public meeting, called upon women to come into struggles against the corporates and capitalists to secure their rights. She questioned whether the prime minister was a Manu-ist or humanist. She said that Telangana came to be recognised worldwide due to the armed struggle and the communists. AIDWA state secretary, T Jyothi said that for the all round development of Telangana women, it was necessary to prepare for big struggles. She demanded that women should be taken into the cabinet immediately and that the evils of Jogini and Matangi practices should be wiped out. The recommendations of Committee on Women’s Security should be implemented. Women had a lot of aspirations and the government should fulfil them, she said. A resolution on the overall progress of women in Telangana proposed in the public meeting was unanimously adopted. Afroz Samina, AIDWA central committee member said that minority women were in backwardness and poverty. She demanded allocation of more funds for them. AIDWA state leaders Asha Latha, Ratnamala, Mallu Laxmi, Sarala and leader of Telangana Peoples Cultural Centre, Himabindu and others participated in the meeting. The public meeting was preceded by a massive rally participated by thousands of women. Bathukamma play (typical Telangana tradition), songs, Kolatam and drums were used in the rally. The rally commenced from Sundarayya Vignana Kendram and culminated at Indira Park for the meeting. DELEGATE SESSION The delegate session started on September 28 at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram. The AIDWA flag was hoisted by Mallu Swarajyam. The presidium consisted of B Hymavathi, Asha Latha and Afroz Samina. Speaking in the delegate session, AIDWA national joint secretary and MP, Sreemati questioned the NDA government about the security of women. Even after 67 years of independence, deprecation of women, attacks on them, rapes and discrimination against them continued. Laws and Special laws are there, but they are of no avail. According to the NCRB data 24,923 cases of rape took place in the country in 2013. Delhi has turned into a rape capital. Earlier UPA government was not serious about women’s welfare and their problems and the same is the case with the present NDA regime. Modi is harping on save the daughter, educate the daughter when even minor girls were being raped, she said. She demanded that 33% reservation bill be passed immediately. She also demanded that 50 per cent seats should be reserved for women in local bodies. She referred to Kerala where 50 per cent reservation was there in the posts of sarpanch, deputy sarpanch, standing committee chairperson, mayors and deputy mayors. Jagmati Sangwan said that on the issues of liquor, food security, employment guarantee the household working, DWACRA and unorganised sector workers will have to conduct struggles continuously. The government had said that Dalits could be given 3 acres of land, AIDWA had to put pressure for this. Efforts had to be made for social justice and inter-caste marriages, she said. Sarampally Mallareddy, AIKS national vice president said that in the days to come strong movement had to be built up in Telangana. Women’s literacy was less than 50 percent and in backward agency areas it was less than 20 percent. Every year malaria claims thousands of lives in these areas, he deplored. Corporate world had changed women into a commodity. Any number of government schemes were not helping the people. He called upon women to fight unitedly against social backwardness, attacks of governments, domestic violence etc. First secretary of Telangana state AIDWA, B Hymavathi said that on women’s issue united struggles were needed. Rising above caste and religious differences and strengthening struggles at village level had to be conducted on women’s issues. On this occasion, a warm felicitation was accorded to Mallu Swarajyam, Telangana Armed Struggle fighter. Swarajyam declared that she will be ever ready to help the movement. The movement built up by them had to be continued. The conference unanimously adopted resolutions on proper implementation of labour laws, problems of working women, on violence against women, women’s security, media’s effect on women, 33 percent reservation for women in legislatures, control on sale of liquor. The conference elected a team of 11 office bearers and a state committee of 51 members with Asha Latha and Hymavathi as president and secretary respectively.