NEW DELHI: BJP on Saturday accused Congress of “betraying” women and slammed the party and its allies for celebrating the defeat of the Constitution amendment bill seeking to implement women’s reservation in Lok Sabha and assemblies with a 50% hike in Lok Sabha seats. “Congress smiled smugly, thumped desks and celebrated the crushing of the political aspirations of ordinary women. Congress and its allies celebrated the fact that women who have struggled for years in politics and who were only demanding 33% reservation in Parliament were denied their rights,” BJP’s Smriti Irani said. Union minister Kiren Rijiju said opposition parties have inflicted a “stain” on themselves by defeating the bill and that they will not be able to wash it away. “We are sad, but we don’t consider it a failure of the party and govt. They have hurt the women of the country. We wanted to give honor to women and empower them. We will continue to do so,” he said, terming Congress “anti-women”. Irani criticized the opposition’s stance as a reflection of a “feudal mindset”, alleging that it treats constitutional rights as political favors rather than entitlements. BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad criticized Priyanka Gandhi over her remarks, questioning her charge that BJP was using women for its political benefits. “Women in India can’t be treated as a commodity,” he said
