ABSTRACT
Haryana is a classic example of a paradox of economic development and social blight. Despite the success of the green, white, and blue revolutions; rapid industrialization; and development of means of communication, empowerment of women in the state is depressing. Women have not been able to make their presence felt in Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies. Women's empowerment in Haryana remains an unfinished agenda primarily due to the traditional, conservative, and neo-feudal culture of the state as well as the patriarchal nature of society. However, as this chapter shows, though the women's movement is not well entrenched in Haryana, women have been active in some agitational politics like the anti-liquor movement in Haryana during 1995–96 that enabled the Bansi Lal-led HVP–BJP coalition government to come to power in 1996. During recent years, Dalits, including women, have attempted to assert their self-respect and dignified identity on various issues related to livelihood (like food security, MNREGA, and land) on the one hand and against caste discrimination or sexual violence on the other.
