Loksatta Party Sternly Condemns the GoI For Not Criminalizing Marital Rape

Loksatta Party sternly condemns the GoI for not criminalizing marital rape. In the name of Indian culture, the sitting BJP government at the center is blatantly abdicating their responsibility to ensure basic human rights and constitutionally enshrined fundamental rights of women. Instead the GoI is audaciously citing Indian culture for their rejection of basic governmental duties.

Rape or non consensual sex is by definition an act of violence. To claim that Indian culture treats marriage as sacred and therefore espouses violence and forced sex within marriage is both a contradiction and travesty, not to mention denigrating of India.

Loksatta Party National President Surendra Srivastava lambasted the GoI for misrepresenting Indian culture to suit their atavistic gender related attitudes. "The beauty of Indian culture is its ability to hold a mirror to itself and reflect on it's own anachronisms. It is to live and let live. That has led to repealing of many unfair laws and creation of other laws to protect and engender social good. Rape, in any circumstance is abhorrent and by tolerating marital rape, India daily acknowledges that women are lesser humans without right of their bodies and no recourse for pain and violence. As a lawyer and a human being, I find this stance of the GoI unacceptable."

Tara K, National Chairperson of Strategy for Loksatta Party, commented, "We are glad that the sitting governments of yesteryears did not preclude the abolishing of dowry and passing of anti Dowry and anti bride burning laws, the banning of child marriages and the passing of the prohibition of child marriage laws and the eradication of widow burning, all in the name of tradition, culture, education and background of the Indian people. Had they appropriated to themselves the sole custodianship of Indian culture the way the current GoI is acting, these barbaric practices would never have been outlawed."

Loksatta Party, as a relentless champion for women, strongly urges the GoI to criminalize marital rape. India must treat women as first class citizens. accord them dignity of life and a marital institution that is safe and happy.