As political temperatures soar in Maharashtra ahead of the Assembly elections, the Congress has launched a campaign called 'Laapataa Ladies', inspired by the Kiran Rao-directed movie. It targets the ruling Mahayuti government on the issue of women's safety in the state.
The quirky campaign specifically takes aim at Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, whose identities can be distinguished from the silhouettes printed on the campaign posters, installed across the state by the Congress.
According to media reports, multiple posters have been put up across Maharashtra, with the phrase 'Laapataa Ladies' written on them. A short Marathi sentence is also written on the poster, saying "64,000 women missing in a year."
Congress's campaign comes on the heels of the Badlapur sexual abuse case, wherein two schoolgirls in Maharashtra's Badlapur were sexually abused by a contractual sweeper at school. The campaign seems to be a direct potshot at Fadnavis, who handles the state Home portfolio.
"Every year, 64,000 women and girls go missing from Maharashtra, which is a matter of serious concern," Congress leader Dhivya Marunthiah said in a post on X.
"These posters clearly show that the Home Minister's work has been completely ineffective. This is a failure of the government, and as a result, women's safety in Maharashtra has been jeopardised, and the state's law and order have collapsed," the statement read.
The statement further said that the posters spotlight on Devendra Fadnavis' tenure, which the Congress claimed, "has been a complete failure in terms of women's safety". "The public's demand for his resignation is growing stronger by the day," it added.
Addressing the Assembly in August 2023, Fadnavis stated that 10 per cent of the women who went missing in Maharashtra did not return home.
"Women's safety is a cause of concern for the country. In Maharashtra, around 64,000 girls and women go missing every year and during Covid in 2019 and 2020 the number was the same. In 2021, 61,000 cases were registered. 87% of them have returned home, while in 2022, 86% of the missing girls and women have returned. We have been taking steps to bring this percentage down," he said.
Citing the same figure, Congress has now targeted the Mahayuti government on its track record on safety of women.
The Mahayuti government has announced the 'Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' to reach out to women voters ahead of the Assembly elections. Under this women in the 21-65 years age group will receive ₹ 1,500 per month if their family income is less than ₹ 2.5 lakh.
Maharashtra Assembly election is anticipated to be held in mid-November, with a tough battle between the ruling Mahayuti coalition of BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar and the Maha Vikas Aghadi bloc of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction.
The Election Commission is yet to announce the official dates for the Assembly polls.
The movie, Laapataa Ladies, was released in 2023. It garnered rave reviews for its message against patriarchy and exploring women's empowerment with a humorous touch. It was recently chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars.