Smriti Irani said the Women's Reservation Bill empowers 'ordinary women' and is not for creating a vote bank. She accused Congress of hypocrisy and obstructing the bill, contrasting BJP's empowerment initiatives with Congress's past failures.
'Bill aims to empower ordinary women, not create vote bank'
Former Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani stated that the Women's Reservation Bill seeks to strengthen "ordinary women" with political aspirations, not carve out a new vote bank, and added that women have consistently backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014. Irani said the legislation is aimed at political empowerment.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP Headquarters, Irani said, "When PM Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, if we look at his journey, the votes of those who voted for him have only increased. So it is not as if there is any attempt to carve out a new vote bank. Women in the country, whether in 2014, 2019 or 2024, have supported PM Modi by voting for him. The bill that has been introduced is one that aims to strengthen the capability of ordinary women in this country who have political aspirations and wish to contribute to the development of the nation. It is a bill that empowers them.
Taking a swipe at Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Irani said that those who have "inherited politics" may not fully understand such initiatives. "Those who have inherited politics may not understand this for sure. Therefore, I do not expect Mrs Vadra to understand this effort of PM Modi, which empowers ordinary women in the country. Women in the country have consistently and in large numbers voted for PM Modi and supported him," Irani added.
Earlier in a press conference, Priyanka Gandhi had stated that, "It's a Black Day for them (centre) because they've felt a shock for the first time, which they deserved. The problems of women today are growing exponentially. Women aren't fools. They see everything. That PR and media hype won't work anymore."
Irani slams Congress for 'crushing aspirations' of women
Additionally, Irani accused the Congress of "crushing the aspirations" of women by opposing the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, saying the party celebrated in Parliament while denying women their political rights.
Irani said, "The women of the country were told that the Congress party has created a dream that holds the intention of securing political rights for women. What has become of that intention after 98 years was seen yesterday by women across the country in the nation's Parliament. The Congress party smiled, thumped desks, and celebrated politically yesterday as they crushed the aspirations of the nation's political awakening. But for the BJP, this is not just a struggle for power; it is a fight for the right to equality."
Irani contrasted the BJP-led government's record with that of previous Congress governments. She alleged that during decades of Congress rule, millions of women were deprived of basic facilities such as toilets and banking access, contrasting it with initiatives under the BJP-led NDA government, including the introduction of a gender budget framework.
'Congress exposed its cruel face'
She further accused the Congress and its allies of celebrating the denial of women's long-standing demand for 33 per cent reservation in legislatures. She added, "Women will remember that during six decades of Congress rule, 11 crore women in this country were deprived of access to toilets. Women will remember that 25 crore women were denied the support to open bank accounts. Women will remember that under BJP-NDA, the first gender budget framework was introduced. Congress and its supporting parties celebrated the fact that the struggling political women of this country, who have been working for years and were merely demanding 33% rights. They were immersed in the celebration of how to deny those women their rights by breaking their dignity, and how to win the battle in Parliament. Today, in the Congress press conference, a jibe was made that some people in the BJP tried to play the messiah. I'm stunned that in the Congress press conference, it was stated that they support the bill passed in 2023, which mentions delimitation. But look at Congress's hypocrisy--they also say together that they don't have faith in the committee and the arrangement for delimitation. Congress has no faith in the country's constitutional arrangement, in Parliament, or in the women of the country. Congress has exposed its cruel face in front of the women of the country."
Bill fails to pass in Lok Sabha
The remarks come a day after the BJP-led government failed to secure the required two-thirds majority to pass the amendment bill. In the Lok Sabha voting, 298 members supported the bill while 230 opposed it. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed that the bill did not pass. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Centre would not proceed with the remaining interlinked legislations.
While Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the opposition of blocking women's reservation, opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, maintained that they support the quota but oppose its linkage with delimitation. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)