These days Lok Satta members are sending out e-mails seeking more volunteers to help in campaigning in Hyderabad. Possibly this dearth of
volunteers has disabled the party from taking any action against its errant functionaries such as C Purnachandra Rao. Rao’s misbehaviour with women scribes during party boss Jayaprakash Narayan’s tour to Nellore was reported in these columns last week. Attached to the media cell of the fledgling party, Rao’s obscene behaviour with women scribes who had accompanied Narayan had left them shocked. In legal terms, Rao’s behaviour can qualify as an outrage against a woman’s modesty. But Jayaprakash Narayan has not reacted to the matter and even remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts made by this newspaper on April 1 and earlier. The party’s Jubilee Hills constituency candidate G Pratibha Rao, when asked, as a woman what she had to say, said action would have been taken if there was truth in the allegation. “I did not bother to check on the matter since I did not think there was much substance in the allegation. It was concocted,’’ she said. The reaction of the woman candidate comes as a shock to the victims of Purnachandra Rao’s behaviour, one of whom is a TOI scribe herself. “Taking action against the man (Purnachandra Rao) wouldn’t harm the party but if they don’t, it shows they have something to hide,’’ said one victim, adding that Lok Satta now being a mainstream national party should have acted more responsibly and live up to the clean image it created for itself. Women activists say they are aghast at Jayaprakash Narayan’s stoic silence on the matter. But say that his inaction is not surprising. “There has never been any comment by the Lok Satta party on violence against women such as the recent acid attack cases,’’ says Usha Rani, director of Sanhitha, a resource and research centre for women. She said that Jayaprakash Narayan has in the past spoken only about corruption. “At least now he should have commented on whether or not any action has been taken,’’ Usha Rani said. Women rights activist, K Anuradha of Aman Vedica, that works on issues of justice for women and children, too said that JP needs to know that corruption is not about bribes and money dealings alone and manifests itself in many other forms. “How will women feel comfortable with the party ?’’ she wondered. Police officials of the Women Protection Cell said that such behaviour (as committed by Purnachandra Rao) was punishable with imprisonment for up to twoyears or a fine or both under Section 354 of IPC, which is an attempt to outrage the modesty of a woman.
volunteers has disabled the party from taking any action against its errant functionaries such as C Purnachandra Rao. Rao’s misbehaviour with women scribes during party boss Jayaprakash Narayan’s tour to Nellore was reported in these columns last week. Attached to the media cell of the fledgling party, Rao’s obscene behaviour with women scribes who had accompanied Narayan had left them shocked. In legal terms, Rao’s behaviour can qualify as an outrage against a woman’s modesty. But Jayaprakash Narayan has not reacted to the matter and even remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts made by this newspaper on April 1 and earlier. The party’s Jubilee Hills constituency candidate G Pratibha Rao, when asked, as a woman what she had to say, said action would have been taken if there was truth in the allegation. “I did not bother to check on the matter since I did not think there was much substance in the allegation. It was concocted,’’ she said. The reaction of the woman candidate comes as a shock to the victims of Purnachandra Rao’s behaviour, one of whom is a TOI scribe herself. “Taking action against the man (Purnachandra Rao) wouldn’t harm the party but if they don’t, it shows they have something to hide,’’ said one victim, adding that Lok Satta now being a mainstream national party should have acted more responsibly and live up to the clean image it created for itself. Women activists say they are aghast at Jayaprakash Narayan’s stoic silence on the matter. But say that his inaction is not surprising. “There has never been any comment by the Lok Satta party on violence against women such as the recent acid attack cases,’’ says Usha Rani, director of Sanhitha, a resource and research centre for women. She said that Jayaprakash Narayan has in the past spoken only about corruption. “At least now he should have commented on whether or not any action has been taken,’’ Usha Rani said. Women rights activist, K Anuradha of Aman Vedica, that works on issues of justice for women and children, too said that JP needs to know that corruption is not about bribes and money dealings alone and manifests itself in many other forms. “How will women feel comfortable with the party ?’’ she wondered. Police officials of the Women Protection Cell said that such behaviour (as committed by Purnachandra Rao) was punishable with imprisonment for up to twoyears or a fine or both under Section 354 of IPC, which is an attempt to outrage the modesty of a woman.
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