Congress president YS Sharmila yet again raised her voice against the alarming rise in sexual violence and abuse cases against women in the state. On Twitter, Sharmila condemned the leadership of the state for letting political interests overtake women’s safety and well-being. This comes in the backdrop of various discussions in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly regarding the rise in crime against women.
She criticizes both the TDP and the YSRCP governments for being absolutely incapable of ending this decade of sexual violence. She cited disturbing statistics, showing that during the period of 2014 to 2019, there were 83,202 reported crimes against women, while those between 2019 and 2024 increased to 100,508. She further alleged that such incidents during YSRCP rule have seen a 20% rise with an average of 59 rape cases reported daily. Sharmila criticized both political parties for using the issue of women’s safety as a political tool rather than taking real action.
The Congress leader was pointing to the horrific figure of nearly 2 lakh cases of crimes against women registered in the last 10 years and claimed that the state had failed to protect its female citizens. She questioned the very implementation of the Nirbhaya Act and the Disha Act suggesting that they have largely remained ineffective in preventing such crimes and ensuring justice. She also pointed out that criminals continue to evade significant punishment under these laws.
Sharmila has criticized the various public campaigns, touted by the state government, on women’s safety issues as cosmetic and futile. She denounced the police force as being held at ransom by the political dispensation, citing this as a reason why they have failed to act properly. Overall, Sharmila criticized the overall state of Andhra Pradesh, pin-pointing its status of lagging development coupled with the soaring rates of crime and sexual violence, which she accounted to the failures of both the TDP and YSRCP governments.