NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani on Saturday clapped back at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the Congress, terming the Opposition’s stance a “hypocrisy exposed” on the issue of women’s empowerment.
Their comments came during a press conference, a day after a Constitution Amendment Bill, aimed at enabling reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 and increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha, failed to get passed in the Lower House after it did not meet the required majority of 2/3.
Shortly after Priyanka’s media briefing, the BJP intensified its criticism, accusing the Congress of “betraying” women and then celebrating the defeat of their political aspirations. Ravi Shankar Prasad asked the Congress to first understand constitutional provisions before making statements.
“Congress needs to understand the Constitution. No revision in the number of seats in Parliament or Assemblies can be done or is possible without delimitation,” he said.
Taking a swipe at Priyanka Gandhi, Prasad added, “I don’t say anything against her (Priyanka Gandhi), but this is the first time I am doing so. In a media briefing, she spoke about using women. Are the women of India a commodity to be used? This is the language of a woman MP from the Indian National Congress.”
Invoking India’s cultural ethos, he said women are revered as embodiments of Durga, Kali, Saraswati and Lakshmi, symbolising the nation’s spiritual heritage as ‘mother’. “To describe them as objects for use is condemnable,” he said.
Smriti Irani, who addressed the press alongside Prasad, also accused the Congress and its allies of celebrating the denial of 33% reservation for women in legislatures.
“The Congress smiled, thumped desks and celebrated the crushing of the political aspirations of ordinary women. The Congress and its supporting allies celebrated the fact that women who were only demanding 33% reservation in Parliament were denied their rights,” she alleged.