Bengaluru, April 18 (IANS) Karnataka Opposition Leader R. Ashoka, expressing strong anger, said on Saturday that by opposing the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, Congress has clearly revealed its anti-women stance. ​

“The women of the country will never forgive this. Therefore, it is appropriate to dissolve Congress’s women’s wing,” he said.​

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he said that even though the PM Modi-led government brought the Nari Shakti Vandan Act Bill to grant constitutional rights to the country’s women, the opposition parties defeated it in the Lok Sabha.​

He said that Congress and its allies have decided that giving women Rs 2,000 and free bus rides is enough; they do not need political representation. They think that in the next election, it is sufficient to give more money and secure votes. In the coming elections, women will teach all of them a lesson, he said.​

Ashoka slammed Nehru and Indira Gandhi, who ruled for 60 years, for not bringing in women’s reservation. When PM Modi brought the Bill, Congress opposed it and betrayed women. The anti-women sentiment is in Congress’s blood, he charged.​

He further added that there are a total of 129 parliamentary seats in southern Indian states, and that there is an opportunity to increase them to 195. If there had been differences of opinion regarding delimitation, they could have been discussed, Ashoka noted.​

“The delimitation process had happened earlier, too. At that time, Congress had kept quiet, but now they are opposing it. Delimitation is a normal process, and the central government has carried it out,” he said.​

He claimed that women should question Congress on the streets regarding this. Women will drive Congress out of the country. Earlier, when triple talaq was abolished, Congress had opposed it too. For women, this is a dark day, he said.​

He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not using this as an election advantage. Congress could have supported the Bill and taken the credit. It will be implemented in just three years. But it is important to note that it has not been implemented in the last 60 years. Delimitation will also increase the number of parliamentary seats for the southern states, he said.​

“What criteria has the Congress government set for the formation of Greater Bengaluru? Even there, they have considered only the 2011 census. But if Bharatiya Janata Party considers it as a criterion, they oppose it,” he said.​

Ashoka said that the failure of the women’s empowerment Bill is a clear sign of the opposition parties’ conspiracy, negligence, and anti-women attitude. Congress leaders deliver big speeches on platforms about women’s rights, but they have failed to implement them, he said.​

“If they have not voted for this Bill, it is appropriate to dissolve Congress’s women’s wing. Women leaders had dreamed of going to the legislature. The people will not forgive the Congress government that neglects women’s rights,” he said. ​

He criticised Congress, stating that for them, women are nothing more than vote-givers.​

--IANS

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