Bourgeois Democracy and the Left

movement as being uncritical in its language and agenda, allowing for an easy co-option by the hindutva forces. For instance, they cite Flavia Agnes as stating that polygamy and maintenance tend to be highlighted by feminists as problems of Muslim women while problems of upper caste Hindu women such as dowry are universalised as women's problems. On the contrary, as early as on 1975, the status of women report, Towards Equality, brought out by a group of feminists states very clearly that polygamy is higher among the Hindus. This has been reiterated by the women's movement right till the present times. In fact, one of the critiques of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, is that it does not recognise and thus, does not give any legal rights to the second wife, unlike the Muslim marriages.