Blaming the victim? Congress IT cell chief Divya Spandana defending a sexual harassment accused is a major setback to Indian women
From Nirbhaya to Kathua, from calling out trolls abusing Sushma Swaraj to standing up for the Unnao rape victim, the Congress has spoken out unequivocally against women's oppression in all its various forms. But in what highlights the party's hypocrisy on women's empowerment, the Congress is not just apparently shamelessly shielding a man accused of sexual harassment, but also going full-throttle at victim blaming.
This, when the victim herself was part of the party's IT cell till she was reportedly forced to quit due to alleged harassment and the absence of any support from those within the party, including IT cell chief Divya Spandana, whom the victim reported to.
The case came to the fore when the woman working with the Congress' IT cell as a social media manager alleged that one Chirag Patnaik, who is reportedly Spandana's aide, made her uncomfortable with "frequent violation of personal space" and "immoral behaviour".
Following protocol, the victim was required to run her tweets — related to the Congress — through Patnaik and it was during those interactions that she was reportedly harassed. "While I was busy concentrating on my computer screen, Mr Patnaik encircled me from behind in a manner most immoral, pretending to check the tweets," the women has written in her complaint to the police.
An FIR has now been filed.
While any incident of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace is agonising in itself, what is often more disgusting is the response that women get from people they reach out to for help.
Divya Spandana's alleged response to the victim is no different and only comes home to prove that women in positions of power often play to the script etched in stone by their male colleagues.
Sample this.
The victim complained that when she reached out to Spandana with her plea, instead of helping, the Congress IT cell chief apparently turned the discussion to the victim's performance.
The response tweeted by Spandana to the woman's complaint has 'victim blaming' written all over it.
The woman in question submitted her complaint to the police on June 11. Spandana's response, tweeted on July 3, says, "The complaints committee does not have any complaint written/verbal/official/unofficial from the ex-worker..."
That a party which claims to espouse the cause of woman so staunchly did not itself reach out to the police speaks volumes about what the Congress is doing on the ground to help women.
The party also apparently does not have something as basic as an intra-party forum for women to file complaints against male colleagues.
Senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury, who has ironically headed the Union women and child development ministry, recently said the party does not need a forum for women to file complaints of sexual harassment. Her contention is that since there is apparently "zero tolerance" in the party against women's oppression, there is no need for a special cell. Any woman in need can approach a senior with her complaint. Chowdhury has conveniently chosen to turn a blind eye to the point that the oppressor could be a senior himself.
To top it all, Chowdhury went on to ask, "Does any party have such a cell?"
Having blamed all other parties for not taking gender justice seriously, Chowdhury now seems to be suggesting that the Congress itself is trying to only match up to the low standards set by "other parties".
It is no wonder then that women in the Congress make as little progress as they make in other parties. And even though it tries to mislead the nation by saying that it gave the country a woman prime minister, we all know that that woman was herself the daughter of a former prime minister.
Remember that, Renuka Chowdhury, the next time you are on the campaign trail, promising a safer world to women.
Many women certainly will.
Statements like those made by Chowdhury just come to show that the fight for women's empowerment is going to be really long and one in which many apparent allies will actually be working in cahoots with oppressors.
The Congress owes an answer to everyone on why it has not bothered to take a single step to ensure the safety and security of women in its own organisational structure. Where is the Congress' very own Vishaka Committee?
Coming back to the case in question, Spandana says, "The team [of which the victim and the accused are a part] has come out in open support of the current worker [the accused] based on interactions and experience of working with him."
So, the classic 'internal investigation style' that the Congress has apparently followed in this case is this: When a man faces allegations of sexually harassing a woman, ask the "boy's club" in your organisation for character certificates in his favour. Also, reach out to women working under the man in question. And then issue him a clean chit.
Case closed.
Justice done.
Spandana goes on to add more disturbing words to her statement posted on Twitter, "The team has also recalled some of their conversations with the ex-worker [the victim] and has no reason to believe that the current worker could have misbehaved with the ex-worker."
'No reason to believe'.
So much for a rock-solid defence.
Along with the statement is a list of people working with the Congress' social media team who have 'supported' the statement.
Not many people can really choose to risk their careers to ensure one woman gets justice. There are bread and butter issues too. So this list belongs to the dustbin (actually, the recycle bin, since it's an electronic copy).
The corporate world often tries to brush such cases under the carpet. But the fact that this response has come from a national party - the party of social justice, as it keeps reminding all and sundry - is deeply worrisome for the women in this country.
And now for the most disturbing bit.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi is yet to respond to a letter written by the victim. The fact that the Gandhi scion has not reached out to a woman crying sexual harassment within his own party shows how lonely the battle for gender justice is, even for those working in the 'grand old party'.
Even if the letter hasn't reached him, Rahul Gandhi does follow Spandana on Twitter. Did the matter not come to his notice by way of the tweet? Did he not realise even after reading the tweet that women in his own party might be a vulnerable lot in the absence of a redressal mechanism? Didn't he care?
This is the same Rahul Gandhi who called for a candlelight march against the Kathua and Unnao gang rapes at India Gate not too far back. Why such silence on women's security within his own party now?
Rahul Gandhi must sit and think through it during his next vacation abroad.
Also read: Karnataka polls prove neither Modi nor Rahul Gandhi takes women empowerment seriously