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Harried hubby in poll fray

A seasoned social worker who takes up the cudgels for harassed husbands has thrown his hat into the ring for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections by filing nomination papers from the Ahmedabad East constituency as an independent candidate.

Dashrath Devda, president of the All-India Federation Against Exploitation by Wives (Akhil Bharatiya Patni Atyachar Virodhi Sangh) who lives in a shanty town in Ahmedabad, told Khaleej Times that he wanted to contest the polls to spread the message that it was high time changes were made in laws for protection of husbands against alleged atrocities by wives.

“I will collect just one rupee from my voters who know that I am not against women but against the laws which are heavily in favour of the fairer sex”, he said and claimed that his association had 52,000 members, including 250 people who were very active. Indeed, Devda and his supporters often stage demonstrations and take out rallies in Ahmedabad in protest against the domestic violence laws. They also help men in court proceedings, who face charges of domestic violence from their spouses.

In 2010, the Gujarat High Court had slapped him with a Rs100,000 fine when he filed a public interest litigation to demand amendment in relevant laws but later pardoned him when he claimed that he was not financially sound.

According to Devda, there should be laws to protect a man and his family from false cases filed against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the domestic violence Act, adding that laws related to maintenance and divorce were being misused by women.

“If elected, I will tell people that I will convey the message to Parliament for equality between men and women before law,” said Devda whose rival candidates in Ahmedabad East include Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal (BJP) and former Ahmedabad mayor Himmatsinh Patel (Congress).

mahesh@khaleejtimes.com