Varanasi,

April 24 (HS): Following the failure of the Nari Shakti Vandan Amendment Bill

to pass in the special session of the Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party

(BJP) has intensified its sharp attack on the opposition. The party leadership

has deployed its entire force to corner the opposition parties. Senior party

leaders, along with central and state ministers, are continuously holding press

conferences, attacking the opposition parties, accusing them of betraying half

the country's population. In this vein, Suresh Khanna, Uttar Pradesh's Finance

and Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Minister in-charge of Varanasi, held a

virtual interaction with Varanasi journalists after a press conference held in

Lucknow on Friday.

Minister

Suresh Khanna stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that

women's participation in policy-making is not a favor but their right. He

alleged that the opposition parties have done injustice to half the country's

population by obstructing this historic opportunity, for which they will face a

reprieve in the upcoming elections. He quoted Union Home Minister Amit Shah as

saying that the delimitation process will not harm any state but will ensure

balanced representation of all states. Khanna alleged that some opposition

parties, including the Samajwadi Party, are trying to delay the bill by raising

unconstitutional issues like quota within quota, which is merely an

attempt to divert attention.

The

minister said that the implementation of women's reservation is linked to

delimitation, and delaying it means depriving women of their rights. He

targeted the Congress, saying that the party kept women's reservation pending

for decades through technical excuses and lengthy debates. He also alleged that

the Congress ignored commission reports on issues related to backward classes.

Suresh Khanna said that while it was easy for the opposition to provide women's

reservation at the Panchayat level, as it did not affect their political

position, they showed no interest in implementing it in Parliament and the

Legislative Assemblies. He also attacked the Trinamool Congress, saying that

the TMC has been exposed; the party that suppresses women's voices through

violence in its own state was talking about democracy in Parliament. Therefore,

opposing these bills is actually an attempt to deprive women of their rights.

He

reiterated that the Bharatiya Janata Party is committed to women's empowerment

and strengthening democracy and will continue to fight at every level to ensure

women's rights. Varanasi District Panchayat President Poonam Maurya, local BJP

District President and MLC Hansraj Vishwakarma, and other officials were also

present at the virtual dialogue.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi