"Only Empowering Women In...": Smriti Irani Slams Sonia, Rahul Gandhi Over New Bill

Slamming former Congress president Sonia Gandhi for not being present in the House when the historic Women's Reservation Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Smriti Irani said that the Gandhi family is only interested in empowering women in their family.

"Gandhi Family is only interested in empowering the women in their family. They are not interested in empowering the women in poor or Adivasi or Dalit women, Smriti Irani said while speaking to ANI on Tuesday.

The Congress' parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the women's reservation bill "is ours", as the bill was about to be tabled in Parliament.

The Congress on Monday said it welcomed the reported move as the party has been raising the demand for long.

Asked about the bill when she was entering Parliament on Tuesday, Mrs Gandhi said, "It is ours, apna hai." In a post on 'X' a day back, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "We welcome the reported decision of the Union Cabinet and await the details of the Bill." "This could have very well been discussed in the all-party meeting before the Special Session, and consensus could have been built instead of operating under a veil of secrecy," he said.

Ms Irani hit out at Rahul Gandhi for leaving the House when the discussion on the bill was underway and the Congress party for not supporting the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill.

"It is unfortunate that Sonia Gandhi was absent today. Her son also left when the discussion on the bill was underway. It is even more unfortunate that when the Speaker asked who supported the bill when it was introduced, BJP and NDA supported it but the Congress party did not," the Union Minister said.

Pointing out the 'hypocrisy' in Congress, Ms Irani asked, “Why is this hypocrisy? Even if you do not answer me, you are answerable to the public.”

The Narendra Modi government introduced the new Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha of the new Parliament building here on Tuesday.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Bill in the first sitting of Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building. Arjun Ram Meghwal said that once the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is passed, the number of seats for women in Lok Sabha will increase to 181.

Discussion for passing of the Bill in the House will be taken up tomorrow, September 20. The Bill will be taken up in Rajya Sabha on September 21 government sources said.

Earlier in his address in the Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building, PM Modi said that the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' will ensure more women become members of Parliament and the state legislative assemblies.

The Women Reservation Bill that seeks to guarantee 33 per quota for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies was introduced as the 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill by Union law minister.

This was the first agenda of the day taken up by the Lower House in the new Parliament building. The five-day special session of the Parliament began on Monday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)