New Delhi, in a spirited exchange in the Lok Sabha today, Home Minister Amit Shah raised eyebrows with a pointed question to Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. As tensions flared during the discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill, Amit Shah asked, “Can men not speak up for women?” This incisive remark came after Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s earlier remarks on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniam.
A brief uproar ensued in the House as Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and other opposition MPs insisted on the nomination of a woman MP to address the bill. Amit Shah, in his characteristic style, interjected and took a dig at Chowdhury, suggesting he might be “jealous” for not being the first to speak.
“I want to ask Adhir Ranjan ji, will only women care for women, can men not speak up for them? What kind of society do you want to build? Women’s welfare, women’s concerns…brothers should be a step ahead. That is the tradition of this country. Everyone has the right to think of women’s welfare. And when Nishikant ji stood up from our side to speak, what was his (Chowdhury’s) objection? Maybe because he didn’t get the chance to speak first, he is getting a little jealous,” Amit Shah asserted.
The Women’s Reservation Bill, which was moved for passage in the House by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, had earlier been introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, marking the inaugural session of the new Parliament building.
Sonia Gandhi, initiating the debate on the bill, lent her party’s unwavering support and called for its immediate implementation, deeming any delay as an injustice to the women of the nation.
The bill is slated for discussion in the Rajya Sabha on September 21, according to government sources.
