BJP Mahila Morcha chief Vanathi Srinivasan said on September 14 that she was “hopeful” that the Women’s Reservation Bill would be cleared sooner rather than later, adding that “only Prime Minister Modi has the focus and intent to get it done”.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Srinivasan said that the BJP had long been supportive of efforts to clear the Women’s Reservation Bill and that it was “evident in the policies of the Modi government of women-led development, that only Prime Minister Modi has the focus and intent to get it done”. In the run-up to the Special Session of Parliament between September 18-22, there has been speculation that the government may spring the Women’s Reservation Bill as one of the first pieces of legislation to be cleared in the new Parliament building.
“I have seen the way Prime Minister Modi constantly focuses on getting more and more women into the party organisation, and the programmes of his government that seek to empower women,” she said.
She said that while there was a perception that the BJP was a party that espoused traditional values, the Modi government had handed over ministries like Defence, Finance and External Affairs to women leaders. “We recognise the different roles that women occupy and empower women not just in those roles but in the larger context as well. In earlier non-BJP governments, women Ministers were given portfolios that kept them out of being central to government policy, or you had to be the legatee of a powerful dynasty to get anywhere. Under Modi-ji, Ministries like Finance, Defence and External Affairs have been given to women who do not have a huge political legacy. We are deeply rooted in our sanskriti (culture) but also adopting the changes that are the need of society,” she said.
On being asked about the income support programme for women launched by the Madhya Pradesh government, on the lines of the Karnataka government’s “Gruha Lakshmi” scheme and appeared to run contrary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s injunctions against freebies, Ms. Srinivasan said that the impact on State finances and whether the programme ultimately empowered women was the key.
“When political parties offer such programmes without any concern for State finances, this becomes problematic. This is not the case in Madhya Pradesh. As far as programmes lead to education, self self-reliance of beneficiaries, we welcome it. In Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, the treasury is completely gone, they have no money left for social welfare and infrastructure. When you don’t have money to build schools, then what is the benefit of giving them ₹200? Ultimately, money has to be spent for empowerment. There has to be a larger purpose for this,” she said.
She said that the Mahila Morcha will be holding various programmes, including door-to-door campaigning for the BJP, reaching out to women beneficiaries, professionally qualified women, social influencers and even transgenders in the run-up to the 2024 polls.
