Congress woos women voters, calls minimum income pledge a women-centric scheme

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the assured amount will be deposited in bank accounts of the women of eligible households.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference, at AICC HQ, in New Delhi | PTI

New Delhi: Hoping to woo women voters, the Congress Tuesday termed the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) a women-centric scheme and said the assured amount will be deposited in the bank accounts of the women of eligible households.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi Monday announced an income support of Rs 72,000 per annum to the poorest 20 per cent families of the country under NYAY.

“PM Modi and his government have been trying to spread rumours about the scheme. This is not a top-up scheme as Rs 72,000 (per annum) will be provided to five crore of the poorest families in the country. This is a women-centric scheme as the amount will be deposited in the (bank) account of women of the families. The scheme will cover both urban and rural poor. This is the biggest scheme in the world, which will be implemented in independent India,” said Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress MLA and spokesperson.

He also clarified that NYAY would not subsume other schemes and that the Congress would continue with the subsidy schemes of the BJP government if voted to power.

Women votes matter

This is, however, not the first time the Congress has gone all out to win over women voters. The party is mindful of the fact that women voters constitute over 48 per cent of the electorate. In the 2014 elections, the number of women who turned up to vote outnumbered male voters in as many as 97 constituencies.

In the past, both Rahul and Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh (east) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have raised issues related to women. Rahul had even promised 33 per cent women reservation in government jobs, while also promising to pass the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill if elected to power.

The bill seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies. The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 when UPA-2 was in power, but no voting took place on it in the Lok Sabha.

The party has also promised to field more women candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Reaching out to Anganwadi and women health workers

In Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka has been trying to reach out to women voters employed as Anganwadi workers and those working as Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers.

Priyanka had tweeted recently, “The Anganwadi workers and their helpers are demanding status of state government employees. Instead of listening to their grievances, the BJP government ordered lathicharge on them. The struggle of my sisters is my struggle”. The Anganwadi workers have been pressing for an increase in their honorarium and pension. She also attacked the Modi government for not increasing the salary of ASHA workers, who are community health workers.

“The ASHA workers of Uttar Pradesh take up the responsibility of healthcare of a pregnant woman for nine months, but they get just Rs 600 for this. The BJP government never cared to increase their remuneration. They (ASHA workers) want replies, not rhetoric,” she had tweeted.