NEW DELHI: Women leaders and workers of the BJP in Delhi, including CM Rekha Gupta, staged a protest on Saturday, a day after the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill failed to clear the Lok Sabha.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva also present ther said a historic decision that would have granted rights to women from ordinary families was blocked. “Opposition leaders, who see nothing beyond their own families, not only stalled the bill but also denied rights to half the nation’s population,” he alleged.
He added that women across the country have taken to the streets for their rights, while the opposition continues to politicise the issue. Sachdeva further said the Union Home Minister had expressed willingness in Parliament to consider amendments proposed by the opposition. However, he alleged that the Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, opposed the bill and denied women reservation.
Protesters gathered at Motilal Nehru Marg and marched forward, raising slogans. They broke through police barricades and moved towards the Sunehri Bagh residence of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Near the Sunehri Masjid roundabout, Delhi Police stopped and dispersed the protesters as some attempted to burn an effigy of Gandhi. Police detained Sachdeva, MPs Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Bansuri Swaraj, along with other leaders, and took them to Parliament Street police station, the party said. Gupta alleged opposition parties had long blocked the bill, while BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Hema Malini also criticised the move.