NAGPUR: Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi wishes to give more voice to women legislators, men’s rights activists wish that men’s rights and issues were also discussed in the Parliament . They also demand that the International Men’s Day that falls on November 19, must also be observed as well as the International Women’s Day on March 8 is.Issues that activists want political leaders to discuss include high number of suicide by Indian men, absence of psychological and social support systems to help vulnerable men.They have also demanded that courses should be started on male studies, like women studies or gender studies are taught at some universities. Among other things, the activists are also opposing the 33% reservations for women in trains saying they find it unconstitutional.“The number of male suicides, particularly among married men, in India is going up every year. Every nine minutes, a married man commits suicide, according to the data of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).However, no one talks about men’s issues. PM Modi should put an end to this gender discrimination by initiating a discussion on men’s issues in the parliament,” urges Vivek Ganeshan, secretary of SIFF.If men start discussing their emotional or other problems, they are mocked instead of being helped, pointed out SIFF spokesperson Jyoti Tiwari. “The society invalidates the manhood of a complaining man and expects him to ‘man up’. Unlike women, they don’t even have access to government sponsored distress helpline numbers. According to the definition of lawmakers, men can never be victims of domestic violence.What protection does a man get when he is being abused by his wife,” she asked.Talking about the reservation in trains, SIFF central India president Rajesh Vakharia said, “This policy once implemented will allow women to get confirmed berths, while men get waitlisted seats. When a family travels, the wife and daughter will get confirmed berths while tickets of father and son will remain waitlisted.” He asked what else can be expected from a society where men’s issues are considered ‘unparliamentary’ since the parliament chose not to discuss them.