Shimla, Apr 20 (PTI) AICC national spokesperson Kuldeep Rathore on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his public address on the women’s quota and said it seemed more like an election speech to gain advantage in the upcoming assembly polls.
Rathore, while talking to mediapersons here, said, “When Prime Minister Modi addresses the nation, the country expects a major announcement. But this time, in his 29-minute address, he targeted the Congress and opposition parties on the issue of women’s reservation.
“His address was more like an election rally speech, especially at a time when there are elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.” The Theog MLA said the Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed unanimously by Parliament in 2023 and received the President’s assent. “BJP knew that it lacked a two-thirds majority to pass this bill, yet it called a special session. This entire development was a pre-planned strategy to portray the opposition as anti-women, while in reality, the Congress party has played a historic role in empowering women with political rights,” he said.
He further said Congress has always promoted women in leadership positions. “The first national president of Congress was a woman; the country’s first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi, belonged to Congress. And the first female Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar, also served during Congress’s tenure,” he pointed out.
Rathore accused the BJP of not providing adequate political representation to women and said, “Even in Lok Sabha elections, very few women are given tickets. Congress will expose the BJP’s intentions and will raise this issue with the people. Women of the country understand the BJP’s political strategies, and their effort to gain political leverage will not succeed,” he added. PTI COR PRK
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