"Yes, Jayalalithaa Was Strong Leader", DMK's Kanimozhi Retorts In Women's Bill Debate

Women "do not want to be put on a pedestal... worshipped" DMK MP Kanimozhi said in Parliament today in a heated debate on the women's reservation bill. Swatting aside hecklers at the start of her speech, she also invoked the spirit of strong women politicians, including former AIADMK boss J Jayalalithaa, her party's fierce rival and the late ex-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, and the late former union minister Sushma Swaraj, who was one of the Bharatiya Janata Party's tallest leaders.

In a speech that included quotes from Tamil poets and activists, Ms Kanimozhi criticised the BJP over the "jack-in-the-box" women's bill and seemed to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "chosen by God" remark; "some leaders (believe) if a woman is strong, she becomes a 'devil'".

READ |"Chosen By God For Pious Task": PM Pushes Women's Bill In New Parliament

"Why cannot women be strong? Haven't women participated in the independence struggle? Haven't we seen strong leaders like Mrs Indira Gandhi? It is these kind of words that put fear into the hearts of women," she said, to which someone tried to throw her off by mentioning Ms Jayalalithaa.

READ | NDTV Explainer: What Is Women's Reservation Bill

"Yes... yes, Jayalalithaa was a strong leader. I have no hesitation in accepting she was a very strong leader," Ms Kanimozhi shot back with a smile, to which Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule (seated next to her) reacted with a delighted thumping of the desk and a "well done Kani, exactly!"

Ms Kanimozhi then named other senior women politicians of the country, including Bahujan Samaj Party boss Mayawati, ex-Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"This bill is called the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Bill' (but) stop saluting us! We do not want to be saluted... put on a pedestal... to be worshipped... to be called mothers, your sister or wife. We want to be respected as equals. Let us get down from the pedestal and walk as equals," Ms Kanimozhi said.

READ | DMK MP Kanimozhi Slams BJP Over "Jack-In-The Box" Women's Bill

"Some of our leaders are worried... if a man also takes on the qualities of a woman then he becomes a 'god' but, if a woman becomes strong and brave it is not acceptable and she becomes a devil."

"You (gesturing to the BJP benches) believe in God... in Hinduism. I would like to ask... who is Kali? Isn't she brave, strong? So who are you insulting?" she continued with an emphatic gesture.

Ms Kanimozhi also quoted another late senior BJP leader - former Law Minister Arun Jaitley - to urging the government to allow "politics of tokenism" to evolve into the "politics of ideas".

"I'd like to quote Arun Jaitley (referring to a quote he had made in the Rajya Sabha during a discussion on women's rights). He said, "The argument (that) men can also ensure justice for women has been weakened until representation and discrimination stare us in the face'. The politics of tokenism must now evolve into the politics of ideas. So please stop tokenism," she urged.

In her speech Ms Kanimozhi also laid out a brief history of the various iterations of the women's bill, noting her party's support on each instance, and underlined her Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's support for the Congress in claiming what Sonia Gandhi called "apna (our)" bill.

As others have, she also slammed the BJP for presenting a bill that cannot come into effect before the 2029 general election because it requires a delimitation, or redrawing of parliamentary constituencies, exercise that, in turn, relies on a national census scheduled for 2027.

She also pointed out the bill introduced by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government in 2010 had no conditions and that it was to "take effect immediately after the passage..."

The day's debate began with Sonia Gandhi making a similar demand and calling for immediate implementation. The BJP's Nishikant Dubey then accused the Congress of making claims "for political angles" and pointed out such a demand had not been part of the Congress' bill.

READ | Sonia Gandhi vs BJP In Lok Sabha On Women's Reservation Bill

Pointing out the bill already has a provision for reservation for women from SC and ST communities, Mr Dubey said the Congress and the opposition had not tabled the bill (when the UPA was in power) and were now upset as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had showed the courage to do so.

With input from agencies