Lok Sabha polls: Rahul Gandhi promises 33% quota for women in Houses, govt jobs
Asked about allocation of seats to women candidates in Lok Sabha polls, Rahul told reporters in Chennai that the Congress will do more than just allocating a certain percentage of seats to women.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi and DMK chief M K Stalin at Nagercoil on Wednesday. (PTI)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said his party will implement 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies if it is voted to power.
Asked about allocation of seats to women candidates in Lok Sabha polls, Rahul told reporters in Chennai that the Congress will do more than just allocating a certain percentage of seats to women. “We have taken a decision on Women’s Reservation Bill. And 33 per cent of Parliament seats and Vidhan Sabha seats and also reservation in government jobs,” he said.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, listing the Congress chief’s announcements, tweeted, “Congress will pass the Women’s Reservation Bill reserving 33% of seats for women in Parliament and State Legislatures in the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha….Congress will reserve 33% of all posts/vacancies for women in Central govt, central govt organisations and CPSUs.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Anil Ambani, Rahul said, “PM Modi and Anil Ambani stole Rs 30,000 crore. They took it from the pockets of the pilots who bombed Pakistan. We will have an investigation into Rafale when we come to power. PM Modi and Anil Ambani will be convicted. Whether or not we scrap the deal, it’s a technical thing. We don’t have the details now.”
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Asked whether his strategies faced a fresh challenge after the Pulwama attack, he said the question about Pulwama was what the government did to protect the people. “Whatever opportunities Pakistan gets, they will take it. But what did the government do? What did they do to prevent this? The architect of that bomb is Masood Azhar who was released by BJP (previous NDA government). The National Security Advisor was involved in it. BJP needs to explain why he was released,” Rahul said.
He said the prime concern in the country now is unemployment. “Second is farmers…The next one is wholesale attack on our institutions,” Rahul said. Click here for more election news
He alleged that the BJP destroyed the Planning Commission, the RBI and is in the process of destroying Supreme Court. “I believe India should not be run out of PMO,” he said. “We don’t accept that the PMO should be running a state like Tamil Nadu. This feeling is there in TN that there is an assault on the culture and language,” he said.
Targeting the AIADMK government, Rahul said it is remote-controlled by the Prime Minister. “It’s an insult to Tamil people. It is unacceptable to me. The Tamil people should run their own state,” he said.
Rahul said the promised minimum income guarantee will be a massive boost for the people of Tamil Nadu. Asked about his stand on the NEET issue, he said it is discriminatory towards youngsters in the state. “We will look into it.”
When a reporter asked him about the demand for the release of the seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts, he said the assassination had two aspects. “One was personal, which we have dealt with. The other was the legal issue, which has to take its course. Whatever course the legal issue takes, we are happy with it,” Rahul said.
Earlier, Rahul interacted with students of Stella Maris College. Rahul said he had “genuine” affection for Narendra Modi and he expressed it when he hugged the Prime Minister when he was “very angry” in Parliament. He said people who do not have affection towards others are the ones who are not loved. “That is why he (Modi) generates anger,” Rahul said.
When students asked him about economic growth and what he is going to do if his party is elected to power, he said economic growth is impossible in a fearful atmosphere. “We will change the mood of the country…”
When a student asked him why he did not speak about his brother-in-law Robert Vadra when he targeted Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, Rahul said, “…investigate Robert Vadra but also investigate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
‘Rahul will be PM in few weeks’
Chennai: Sharing stage with Congress president Rahul Gandhi at a rally at Nagercoil on Wednesday, DMK president M K Stalin said the Congress chief will become Prime Minister within a few weeks. Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP will be defeated in the upcoming polls, Stalin said, “Within a few weeks, Rahul Gandhi will become the Prime Minister. This country will be safe in your hands,” he said.
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for Read More
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