- Devendra Fadnavis questioned Congress on women's reservation and Priyanka Gandhi's role
- Fadnavis has accused the Congress of having double standards on the women's reservation bill
- He claimed Rahul Gandhi secretly opposes women's reservation and may delay its implementation
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has questioned Rahul Gandhi over the Congress party's position on women's reservation, citing the example of Priyanka Gandhi and questioning why she was not given a chance. He also declared that the Congress had earlier supported a reservation bill linked to constitutional amendment and its current stance is an example of its double standards.
Speaking at the BJP state executive committee meeting in Pune days after Gandhi's "Smash the patriarchy" post on social media, Fadnavis questioned if the Congress was in favour of giving women opportunities, "Why was Priyanka Gandhi not given a chance?"
Priyanka Gandhi, who is the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee or AICC, is also the Member of Parliament from Kerala's Wayanad.
Accusing the Congress of double standards on women's reservation, Fadnavis said the party had supported the 2023 law providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, despite the legislation containing provisions linked to delimitation.
"The Bill was introduced in 2023. My question is - when you voted for the 2023 law, did it contain provisions for delimitation or not?" Fadnavis said.
He also accused the Congress of secretly opposing women's reservation and said Rahul Gandhi will be responsible if the implementation of the reservation is delayed.
"If this Bill is not passed, will women be able to get 33% reservation in 2029?" he asked. Accusing Rahul Gandhi of being the "killer" of women's reservation, he said the BJP would ensure that women get 33 per cent reservation by 2029.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister's questions come amid the Congress's fresh outreach to women and students ahead of next year's assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
The government's push for the amended women's reservation bill was blocked by a united opposition in parliament during the second half of the budget session.
Most opposition parties, including the Congress said while they support reservation for women, they had huge objections to tying it up with a constitutional amendment for delimitation, which was among the three-bill-package presented in parliament.
Contrary to speculation, the government had not attempted to push the women's reservation bill in the recently concluded monsoon session.
