Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Aam Aadmi Party’s Women’s Wing leaders Suvarna Harmalkar and Carol Fernandes on Thursday came down heavily on BJP youth leaders for their remarks on women’s bangles, calling them “derogatory” and reflective of an “anti-women mentality.”
Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Harmalkar asserted:
“Bangles are not a symbol of weakness but of inner strength and women’s self-respect. If BJP leaders themselves wear bangles, they will gain the strength needed to restore the collapsing law and order situation in the state.”
She pointed out that bangles are not just ornaments but symbols of determination, adding that even goddesses worshipped during Navratri wear both bangles and weapons. “The same BJP youth leaders who seek blessings from these goddesses and play dandiya during Navratri should try wearing bangles to understand the real power they signify,” she remarked.
Harmalkar strongly objected to the BJP Yuva Morcha leaders’ comment that “we are not wearing bangles,” terming it a “mockery of women.”
Referring to the fatal assault on social activist Rama Kankonkar, Harmalkar said the incident has left people in Goa feeling deeply insecure. “Instead of ensuring justice for Kankonkar and reassuring citizens, the BJP is attempting to divert the issue,” she alleged.
Adding to the criticism, Carol Fernandes highlighted the deteriorating law and order in Goa, pointing to a rise in thefts, murders, abductions, and crimes against women. She demanded that women’s safety be treated as a top priority by the government.
