‘Appalling to see such ignorance’: Kavitha slams Smriti Irani on menstruation remarks
The BRS lawmaker from Telangana felt that it was high time to bridge the gap between policy-making and reality with empathy and reason
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha on Friday (December 15) strongly flayed Union minister Smriti Irani’s “menstruation not a handicap” comment saying that she was “disheartened” by the remarks as it was “appalling to see such ignorance”.
In a tweet, Kavitha said, “Disheartened by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani Ji’s dismissal of menstrual struggles in Rajya Sabha. As a woman, it is appalling to see such ignorance... for our struggles... our journeys... we deserve a level playing field and that is a non-negotiable. As a woman, it is disconcerting to see a lack of empathy for genuine challenges women face and the fight we have to put up for everything.” She felt that it was high time to bridge the gap between policy-making and reality with empathy and reason.
Terming mensuration as “biological reality”, the Telangana leader said that denying paid leaves to women during menstruation days “ignores the genuine pain” of women. “Menstruation isn't a choice; it's a biological reality. Denying paid leave ignores the genuine pain countless women endure,” she said.
Irani earlier this week said that menstruation is not a “handicap” and it shouldn’t warrant a specific policy for “paid leave”. While responding to a question on the menstrual hygiene policy in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said, “As a menstruating woman, menstruation and the menstruation cycle is not a handicap, it’s a natural part of women’s life journey…We should not propose issues where women are denied equal opportunities just because somebody who does not menstruate has a particular viewpoint towards menstruation.”
She also told parliament that “menstruation is a physiological phenomenon”, that “only a small proportion of women/girls suffer (severe pain)”, and that most of these cases could be “managed by medication”.
No proposal for menstrual leave
The debate started last week after Irani, responding to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, said there is “no proposal under consideration to make provision for paid menstrual leave mandatory...”
The minister pointed to other kinds of leave and seemed to suggest women, many of whom experience severe, almost debilitating, pain during menstruation make do with those, including leave set aside for other purposes, such as time off for child care and maternity.
Meanwhile, the Personnel Ministry last week stepped back from this topic, declaring it best examined by the Union Health Ministry. This was after a parliamentary panel recommended it consult with stakeholders to frame a menstrual leave policy for government employees.
The standing committee on personnel had noted “menstruation debilitates most women and affects their productivity and performance at the workplace”, and recommended menstrual leave every month, or year, for women without demand for medical certificates, or any justification, in return.
