இந்துப்பெண்களை முஸ்லீம் ஆக்கிரமிப்பாளர்களிடமிருந்து காப்பாற்றவே பர்தா உருவானது - பிரதீபா பட்டீல்

ஜனாதிபதிக்கான காங்கிரஸ் வேட்பாளர் பிரதீபா பட்டீல் அவர்கள், பர்தாவை எதிர்த்து பேசியிருக்கிறார்கள். முஸ்லீம் ஆக்கிரமிப்பாளர்களிடமிருந்து இந்து பெண்களை காப்பாற்றவே இந்தியாவில் பர்தா, முகத்தத மூடுவது ஆகியவை தோன்றின. நாம் சுதந்திரம் அடைந்துவிட்டோம். இன்று இவை தேவையில்லை. ஆகவே நாம் இது போன்ற வழக்கங்களை ஒழித்தால்தான் பெண்கள் முன்னேற முடியும் என்று கூறியிருக்கிறார்.

இது முஸ்லீம் தலைவர்களிடமிருந்தும் வரலாற்றாசிரியர்களிடமிருந்தும் எதிர்ர்பை உருவாக்கியிருக்கிறது.

காங்கிரஸ் கட்சி, பிரதீபா பட்டீல் சொன்னது சரிதான். அவர் சொன்னதில் தவறேதுமில்லை என்று கூறியிருக்கிறது.


நன்றி ஹிண்டு

End the veil system: Pratibha
Special Correspondent

JAIPUR:

Rajasthan Governor and UPA Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil on Sunday left historians and Muslim social activists astounded by her remarks that the purdah (veil) system was introduced in India to protect women from Mughal aggressors.

Addressing a function marking the 467th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap at the Nagar Parishad Auditorium in Udaipur, Ms. Patil said though Indian culture always respected women, the veil system began during the Mughal rule to "save women from Mughal invaders."

Ms. Patil said: "Today we are citizens of free India. There is need to put a stop to such practices. That alone will ensure real respect for women. When women are progressing in every field, it is our duty to discontinue such practices."

Historians said the veil system was prevalent much before the Mughal invasion. "There is evidence of construction of separate `zanana' chambers for women in the Chittaurgarh fort in the 11th century," said Varsha Joshi of the Institute of Rajasthan Studies.

Dr. Joshi said women were not allowed to take part in the coronation ceremonies of Rajput rulers, and they were mostly confined to home. "To argue that purdah started because of Mughals amounts to taking a very narrow view of history."


State president of Jamat-e-Islami Hind Mohammed Salim said the opinion that women adopted the veil because of the fear of Mughal rulers reflected the distorted view of history taken by the Sangh Parivar. "It is unfortunate that Ms. Patil found the communal forces' views convincing enough to incorporate them in her address."

"Factually incorrect"


The State secretary of the All-India Milli Council, Abdul Qayoom Akhtar, said Ms. Patil's remarks were "factually incorrect and historically untenable."

"We have been listening to such comments in the false propaganda of Sangh Parivar earlier. It is surprising that Ms. Patil has chosen to agree with the Sangh's line of thinking," he said.

However, Congress spokesperson Param Navdeep, contacted by The Hindu, defended Ms. Patil's remarks, saying they should be seen in the light of the life and times of the erstwhile Mewar ruler. "There should be no controversy about it. It is an established fact that women were the target of aggression during the Mughal rule," she said.