Kerala's Women Representation Criticized by Former Deputy Speaker Bhargavi Thankappan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Addressing the gathering, former deputy speaker Bhargavi Thankappan criticised the state government and political parties for not ensuring adequate representation of women in the Legislative Assembly. According to her, the lack of women members in the assembly and other governing bodies, despite claims about the strength of democracy and other initiatives, pulls the state towards failure. “We repeatedly talk about democracy, and everyone behaves as if everything is fine. However, looking back, what have we achieved as we complete 70 years? Women make up half of the population. What is their status here? How many women members are there in our assembly? The parliament passed a women’s reservation bill, and it is yet to be implemented. All political parties are the same in this case,” Bhargavi said. The 84-year-old former legislator served as the deputy speaker from 1987 to 1991.