Jammu: As the Congress attacked the PM Modi led NDA government at the Centre over linking the women’s reservation bill with delimitation, the grand old party took a swipe at the BJP for sending Epstein files-linked minister Hardeep Singh Puri to Jammu and Kashmir to defend the government’s stance.
The government’s Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to implement women’s quota and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated in the Lower House on Friday. While the BJP has been accusing the opposition of stalling the women’s reservation bill in the Parliament, the Congress has launched a nation-wide programme to educate people about the BJP government’s “intent”.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Congress MLA from Haryana, Geeta Bhukkal targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending union minister Puri, who has been named in Epstein files, to Jammu for defending the Centre over the reservation bill.
“The Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about giving rights to women but sends a central minister Hardeep Puri whose name is news for all the wrong reasons across the world and the nation because his name appeared in Epstein files to Jammu to defend women’s rights,” she said.
“Why did the BJP not think before sending Hardeep Puri for advocacy of women’s rights while they should have asked for his resignation? But it is indeed a matter of great concern and I condemn BJP for sending Hardeep Puri here,” the five-time Congress MLA from Haryana’s Jhajjar said.
Bhukkal’s remarks come two days after Puri addressed a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Jammu where he said that the opposition had “played with fire” and “derailed the women’s reservation bill”.
Congress leaders address a press conference in Jammu
Accompanied by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) working president Raman Bhalla and other leaders, Bhukkal said that Congress party has always stood for giving rights to women and it was Congress party which gave country its first woman Prime Minister, first woman Lok Sabha Speaker and first woman President of India.
“But calling a special session in the middle of elections to bring an amendment in the already passed women reservation bill and going for delimitation without census was done by the BJP government to fool people. Their intention behind bringing this amendment was hidden and the BJP don’t want the caste census to be done before going for delimitation,” she added.
Congress leaders address a press conference in Jammu
The Congress MLA also targeted the BJP over its delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. “We have seen what treatment the BJP government did to seats in Jammu and Kashmir during the delimitation as instead of addressing the administrative issues, they created a mess out of it. The same thing happened in Assam and we don’t want it to be repeated”.
Bhukkal said that the government should implement the already passed women’s reservation bill of 2023 and give reservation to women on existing 543 seats.
