Chitrakoot (UP):  Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday asked the women to start fending for themselves.”Suno Draupadi, shastra utha lo. Ab Govind na aayenge. Kab tak aas lagaogi tum, bike hue akhbaron se. Kaisi Raksha maang rahi ho, Dushasan ke darbaron se. (Listen Draupadi, take up arms because now Govind will not come. How long will you wait for justice from newspapers that are already sold. What kind of protection are you seeking from Dushasan’s court.),” she said. She said that this time, the talk of giving 40 per cent tickets to women in Assembly elections is just a beginning.”I want half the population of women to contest 50 per cent seats in the 2024 elections. The mobile will help in your safety and the scooty will help you in your studies. All journeys will be free for women in the government buses and 40 per cent provision already exists for women in government posts,” she said.Priyanka Gandhi targeted the BJP government and said that a minister’s son crushed the farmers in Lakhimpur but the government helped him.”At the same time, the ASHA sisters have been beaten up badly by the administration for raising their demands. When you are being exploited continuously and you are being tortured, then if you ask for your rights from those who beat you, you will never get it. You have to fight for your rights. If the government is not doing anything for you, then why should it be carried forward?” she asked.Priyanka, on Wednesday, was interacting with a group of about 5000 women at Ramghat on the banks of the Mandakini river and heard their problems.The women, including Aanganwadi workers, Asha workers, lawyers and members of self-help groups spoke about their problems at home and at work and appreciated the reservation announced for women by the Congress.Priyanka Gandhi assured them that the Congress would stand by them and help them in every possible way to solve their problems.The programme that focused on the ‘Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon’ slogan, saw women from all strata of society — mainly low-income groups — listening attentively to the Congress leader’s programmes for women empowerment.Priyanka Gandhi also offered prayers at the famous Matgajendra Shiv temple in Chitrakoot.A special stage had been constructed on a boat for Priyanka Gandhi but the Congress leader chose to sit with the women during the interaction.Political analysts feel that the selection of Chitrakoot as the venue for a dialogue with women was a carefully curated move as Ramghat area of the district is, perhaps, one of the only other places to be close to the life of Lord Ram who has played a key role in drawing the political canvas of UP in recent decades. AGENCIES