Women's reservation bill suits BJP politically, but its implementation against party's 'Manuwadi' ideology: Cong leader

The women’s reservation bill suits the Bharatiya Janata Party politically and gets them headlines but its implementation does not suit the party’s ‘Manuwadi’ ideology (thought process based on contents of the Hindu text Manusmriti), Congress leader Anuma Acharya said on Monday.

She was speaking on the bill as part of the Congress’ decision to have 21 press conferences in 21 cities nationwide to ”expose the Narendra Modi government” on the issue.

The present bill will come into effect after carrying out Census and delimitation of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies, which means it has been effectively ”postponed for 10 to 12 years”, she claimed.

”It means the bill suits the BJP politically and gets them headlines. But the implementation of the bill does not suit their Manuwadi ideology,” Acharya, a spokesperson of the party, said.

She said the Congress has always maintained that ”men of quality respect women’s equality” and had taken several initiatives to this end.

In 1989, the Congress brought a bill on 33 per cent reservation for women in panchayats, which was passed in the Lok Sabha but was stalled by the BJP in the Upper House, she claimed.

The women’s reservation bill was brought in by the Congress-led UPA government in 2010 but it could not be implemented, and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in 2014 wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pass it along with OBC quota but the NDA dispensation did nothing, she added. In Parliament, Rahul Gandhi had said the provisions of the bill must come into force immediately, Acharya said.

Asked whether the Congress would earmark 30 per cent seats in the party organisation for women, she pointed out that 40 per cent tickets in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls were given to women.

Asked about the recent spat between India and Canada on the killing of Khalistan extremist Hardip Singh Nijjar in British Columbia there on June 18, the Congress leader said it was the first time India was being accused of carrying out such an act.

Since the matter is ongoing, Acharya said she can’t say much on it.

Tensions flared between India and Canada following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive allegations of ”potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, on his country’s soil on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India has angrily rejected the allegations as ”absurd” and ”motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case. India last week asked Canada to crack down on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.

Acharya also slammed the Union government claiming it was holding a defence air show, which takes place annually in Delhi on October 8, in Bhopal in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on September 30.

The defence forces are being ”misused”, Acharya, a former Indian Air Force wing commander, alleged.