THE central executive committee (CEC) of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) met at the EMS Academy, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on March 29-30, 2015. The meeting, attended by 61 members from 18 states was presided over by its president Malini Bhattacharya. General Secretary Jagmati Sangwan placed a report on current international and national developments affecting women. From the ensuing discussion, the CEC decided to mobilise women at Delhi in the first week of May 2015 to strongly protest the anti-women union budget of the Modi government. In a special resolution passed to condemn the cuts in expenditure on programmes for women, the AIDWA also decided to organise a joint convention with trade unions, organisations of working women, agricultural workers, etc, to draw attention to the impact it will have on services and programmes for the welfare of women and children, dalits, tribals, minorities etc. AIDWA will give a memorandum to the minister for women and child development demanding restoration of cuts in the WCD budget. Given the nature of the anti-people policies being pursued by the BJP led Modi government, the AIDWA decided to launch a massive mass contact programme across the country to mobilise opinion against its decisions to introduce cash transfers in the public distribution system and severely dilute the provisions of the MNREGA. It noted with concern that the cuts in the central budget are encouraging state governments to turn to liquor as a source of revenue generation, and decided to highlight this point in the campaign. The CEC discussed the growing threat of communal forces which are steadily encroaching on the hard won democratic rights of women, and indulging in moral policing. Different organisations and leaders of the Sangh Parivar are promoting highly retrograde and conservative views against women. The AIDWA will fight them resolutely in the coming period. The CEC passed a resolution condemning the sexist and casteist attacks on five LDF women MLAs in the Kerala legislative assembly. Many elected representatives are expressing similar views both inside and outside parliament and state assemblies. The AIDWA will conduct a signature campaign calling for a Code of Conduct for elected representatives at all levels. It will also campaign for a separate law against ‘honour’ crimes in the coming months. The CEC expressed its clear opposition to any amendments or repealing of S498A of the IPC. The findings of a study regarding S498A conducted by AIDWA’s research centre will be disseminated through seminars in different states to mobilise opinion in favour of retaining S498A. The CEC noted the need to gear up the organisation to meet these serious challenges. It called upon all states to conduct workshops to strengthen its basic units and equip its activists at all levels of the organisation to mobilise the largest sections of women for future struggles.