Madhya Pradesh government dropped Megha Parmar, who was the first woman from the state to scale Mount Everest, as the ambassador of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ program and state dairy brand Sanchi. The move came a day after Parmar joined the Congress party in the presence of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath at an event in Chhindwara on May 9.
On May 10, the Department for Women and Child Development removed Megha as the state ambassador for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao program. Five days later, her name was also dropped as the ambassador of the state dairy brand Sanchi, according to an India Today report.
Congress reacted to the move and slammed the ruling BJP in the state alleging that Megha Parmar was dropped as the brand ambassador because she joined the grand old party.
“Megha Parmar, who made the country proud, was dropped as the ambassador of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ as her only crime was joining Congress," party leader KK Mishra said.
Reacting to being discharged from her duties as ambassador, Megha Parmar said, “For the BJP, Beti Bachao has become Beti Hatao”.
A farmer’s daughter, Parmar said she couldn’t have imagined conquering the world’s highest peak. She expressed gratitude to MP congress chief Kamal Nath for providing her financial assistance in her time of need because of which she was able to achieve the glorious feat.
“Instead of film actresses, Kamal Nath made the farmer’s daughter a brand ambassador of the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign. But the BJP government, which talks big about women’s respect, removed the same farmer’s daughter from the brand ambassador," Parmar was quoted by India Today as saying.
“The claims being made by the BJP regarding women’s empowerment today stand exposed. The action of the Shivraj government has not only insulted me but has demeaned women’s empowerment,” she added.
The state government has not responded to the allegations levelled by Megha Parmar and the Congress party yet.
Megha Parmar became the first woman from Madhya Pradesh to climb the summit of Mount Everest in May 2019.