‘Ghamandia’ alliance conspired for long to stall women’s quota Bill: PM Modi

Indirectly referring to the 1998 incident when a Rashtriya Janata Dal MP tore the copy of the Bill introduced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA-government in the Lok Sabha, Modi said, “This Bill has been possible because of the strength of women. Otherwise, the entire company (Opposition) has been involved in match fixing in connivance to stall this bill… They would do histrionics in the Rajya Sabha and veto it in the Lok Sabha. This was their business. But now, they are wondering how did Modi even do it?”

Modi added that the Opposition had also “mocked at” him for “pledging to build toilets in a Red Fort speech” as they had “no sensitivity” to the troubles that women faced in the absence of toilets. He said the Opposition mocked the Jan Dhan Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana and also the triple talaq law. “When we introduced the Triple talaq law to free Muslim sisters from its clutches, they (opposition) were not worried about the Muslim women but their vote bank… They are putting together a Khilafat movement, but ask them why they did not stand up for the rights of Muslim women.”

Hailing the erstwhile Baroda State of Maharaja Sayajirao III Gaekwad, Modi said it was Vadodara that had laid the first foundation for women empowerment during the reign of the visionary Maharaja. “During the Gaekwad era, education for girls was made free and compulsory by the Maharaja and those families that did not allow their girls to study were fined. I was born in a village of the Gaekwad state. MSU always has a woman chancellor and as a Chief Minister, I have held several events in Vadodara.”

Modi emphasised that women are the biggest strength of the much-acclaimed Gujarat Model. “But 20 years ago, the status of women in governance (in Gujarat) was so low that it was concerning… they would never rise up the ladder,” Modi said, adding that the Gujarat model of development was “put to test in 2014 and they came out in flying colours”.

Earlier, at an event in Chhota Udepur’s Bodeli, the Prime Minister highlighted the coincidence of the country’s first tribal woman President Draupadi Murmu signing the women’s reservation Bill. “Now, opportunities for all women to participate in Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies have been opened. The constitution provides for reservation for SC and ST communities. The new law also provides for reservation to SC and ST category women,” the Prime Minister emphasised. He also stressed on how it became the first law to be passed in the new Parliament.

– With inputs from ENS, Ahmedabad

Congress leaders ‘detained’ ahead of MODI’s events

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vadodara Wednesday, the city police detained the City Congress President Rutvij Joshi who has been raising questions about the potholed roads in the city following a heavy spell of rain.

Following an overnight “watch” at the residence of Congress leaders, the Vadodara crime branch took Joshi in preventive detention till the time the Prime Minister was in the city even as other Congress leaders continued to be “under watch” at their homes.

Joshi, who visited the election ward of Mayor Pinky Soni to assess the potholes in the area and was picked up from his residence Wednesday, said, “Vadodara is a democratic city but when PM Modi visits here, it turns into Hitler-shahi (dictatorship) as the police acts at the behest of the ruling party…  I have been asking whether the civic body can only build roads overnight for the prime minister ahead of his visit and not for the processions dedicated to Lord Ganesh?” Joshi was released Wednesday evening. ENS