Last Updated: November 09, 2023, 15:36 IST
Smriti Irani is campaigning for her party in Madhya Pradesh, doing multiple rallies. (File Image: News18)
The Mahua Moitra case should not be seen from the lens of gender but from the point of view of the grave allegations of corruption against her, the union women and child development minister told News18
Union women and child development minister Smriti Irani has slammed the “vulgar statement” of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and termed his apology as “meek and an afterthought”. In an interview with News18, Irani also said that the Mahua Moitra case should not be seen from the lens of gender but from the point of view of the grave allegations of corruption against her.
The Bihar CM on Wednesday apologised in both Houses of the legislature, as well as outside, for his remarks on the importance of women’s education to control population growth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district on Wednesday criticised Nitish Kumar’s statement and said this shows that the INDI Alliance does not respect women. “The PM’s statement speaks for every Indian and especially every Indian woman. The vulgarity and profanity and the condemnable posture of the Bihar CM and his colleagues sitting next to him reflect the mindset of the INDI Alliance. What is shocking is that not a single leader of the party which is in alliance with Kumar has spoken out vehemently condemning the statement of Nitish,” Irani told News18 during the interview in Bhopal.
“Some say he (Nitish) has lost his mental balance; then the question arises that should such a gentleman be running the government in Bihar. Every Indian should ask this question. There are alliance parties that are women-led and have not said anything and other parties, who speak for the emancipation of women, have adopted a studied silence. Apart from that, the whole liberal ecosystem has a studied silence,” Irani said in her first comments on the issue.
That Nitish Kumar could speak such things on the floor of the assembly and get away with a “meek afterthought of an apology” speaks volumes of how the opposition views women, she told News18.
Irani also slammed the Gandhi family for being silent on the matter. “The hypocrisy of the Gandhi family on issues of women is well-known in the country. Rajasthan has witnessed so many crimes against women but not a word from the Gandhi family. You will be disappointed if you expect words to help protect the dignity of women. The Congress leadership in MP have called women “tanch maal” in the past — what do you expect from them?” said the minister.
Asked about the Mahua Moitra case in which the Parliamentary Ethics Committee is set to adopt a draft report, Irani said the issue should not be looked at from a lens of gender. “Instead of looking at it from a lens of gender, I am of the opinion that if there is credible evidence with regards to corruption, that is for the committee and Speaker to opine on. Agencies can then do the process which is judicially acceptable for the evidence to be studied,” she told News18.
The WCD minister said it was hypocritical for the Congress to call the Madhya Pradesh government’s Ladli Behna scheme a freebie. “Then why is the Congress promising a copycat scheme? MP was the first state that started the Ladli Laxmi Yojana by the BJP — 44 lakh young girls have become lakhpatis because of that. The PM has focused on women’s welfare. The Congress is short-sighted on such schemes — they have missed the fulcrum of our effort,” Irani told News18.
She said the BJP’s chances in the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls were bright as “MP Ke Mann Mein Modi hai” and the party will win. “You have seen it during your coverage at CNN-News18. Women have seen our work in various schemes in MP. Beneficiaries can be seen on the ground,” Irani said. She is campaigning for her party in Madhya Pradesh, doing multiple rallies.
