AAP celebrates International Women's Day in Margao on the theme 'Spirit of Womanhood'.
Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The national secretary of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Pankaj Gupta, assured to field 15 women in the forthcoming Goa State Assembly polls.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion of International Women's Day, to celebrate the 'Spirit of Womanhood', Gupta said these women could then give their male counterparts a healthy competition with an aim to increase the number of women representatives in the Assembly.
He termed AAP as the only party to hold the broom in one hand while having the interest of women in the heart. “We hold it with pride. Rather, we feel we are equal partners,” Gupta told the audience.
Terming women as the symbol of sacrifice, love and affection, he said this definition has also undergone a change as women also signify popular standards by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with men. “They excel in every field,” he remarked.
Making the APP's strategy clear, Gupta promised to field 15 women candidates in the forthcoming State Assembly polls even as he advised women to come forward in this matter. “Unless you come forward and take centrestage, the situation will not change,” he added.
Lamenting the fact that the State Assembly has only two women representatives, Gupta said time had come to change this situation. He urged the women to explain what AAP stands for in the run-up to the ensuing polls.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, State AAP chief Rajshree Nagarsekar focussed on the necessity of women joining politics while also elucidating on the reasons why women lag behind in this field. She also told the audience how AAP has changed the political discourse in the country.
Later, Nagarsekar told mediapersons that 100 people have joined the party at this function.
Prominent among the celebrities who joined the party included Cecil Rodrigues, Savia Viegas, Maria Rodrigues (educationist), Aldina Gomes (writer) and Chitra Shirwaikar (stage actress).
