Even though the BJP is opposing Rs 1500 honorarium under ‘Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojna’ to women of Himachal Pradesh, the Communist Party of India Marxist is supporting its continuation.

A delegation of the Himachal Pradesh State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met Chief Electoral Officer of the State Maneesh Garg and presented a memorandum demanding the continuation of the scheme.

Later, party leaders Sanjay Chauhan, Dr Kuldeep Singh Tanwar, Vijendra Mehra, Jagat Ram and Falma Chauhan, while addressing media persons here on Tuesday, demanded that the state government’s scheme of giving Rs 1500 to women in the state should be continued as this scheme had been running for the last few months.

They said that the scheme was implemented in Lahaul-Spiti district a month ago and under this scheme, women are getting the honorarium even before the announcement of elections and the Model Code of Conduct.

The notification to implement this scheme in the entire state has also been issued before the announcement of Lok Sabha elections and thousands of women in the state have filled the forms of this scheme, they claimed, adding that this is in no way a violation of the model code of conduct.

They have termed the BJP’s demand to stop the implementation of this scheme during elections as ridiculous, trivial and anti-women.

“This demand of BJP exposes its anti-women thinking. BJP is not able to accept the economic independence of women. It has exposed them of playing politics under the guise of slogans like women upliftment and women empowerment, which is contrary to the claims of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is giving false and artificial populist slogans and saying that mother and daughter are the embodiment of power and he will risk his life for them,” said Sanjay Chauhan.

“The state BJP is misleading people of the state. When this scheme was not implemented, BJP was making statements every day that the present government is reneging on its guarantees and is not giving Rs 1500 to women. But after the government implemented this scheme, BJP is now against this scheme are looking for various excuses to stall its implementation under the guise of Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

Stressing on the significance of the scheme, Chauhan said, “In Himachal Pradesh, women are mainly employed in the agricultural sector and agriculture is going through a deep crisis. Employment of women in industries is negligible and their participation in the service sector is very low. Considering the weak financial and social condition of women denying this assistance, would be a grave injustice to these women.”