NEW DELHI:
A new political party that aims to boost participation of women in politics, irrespective of their caste and religion, was launched by a woman entrepreneur here today.
The All India Mahila Empowerment Party (MEP) is the brainchild of Dr Nowhera Shaik, a business tycoon and a human rights activist. Shaik, who is the founder and CEO of Heera Group, said her party will contest the upcoming Karnataka elections and is confident of playing a major role in the formation of next government in the state.
Supporting the ban imposed on a triple talaq by the Supreme Court, she lauded the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts in this direction and sought the setting up of a monitoring system “as Muslim women are still being divorced under triple talaq system.”
“The main agenda of AIMEP is to see India as a developed economy where the citizens are able to reap the benefit by the taxes they pay to the governments and are benefited by the schemes and programs implemented by the government,” Shaik said.
Shaik said that her party aims at empowering women irrespective of their caste, religion and domicile region and demanded that women be provided 33 per cent reservation in Parliament and state legislatures. “The issue of women representation in Parliament and state legislatures has been pending for a long time and no political party is seriously about passing the Women’s Reservation Bill although all political parties have included it in their election manifesto,” she said.
She also sought the introduction of stern laws to curb crimes against women particularly rape. Responding to a question, Shaik said that her party is different from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM).
While it only deals and raises issues concerning Muslims, MEP is a secular party that will work for justice for people, she stressed.
