Patna: Union Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani today appealed to women to play a key role in the Assembly polls due later this year like Lord Krishna did in Maharabharata.
“I have no doubt that all of you (women) will play a decisive role in Bihar Assembly polls later this year and ensure BJP's victory in the same way Lord Krishna had done in favour of the Pandavas in the Maharabharata,” she said in her speech at BJP's Mahila Mahasammelan here.
Stating that her party has consistently worked for welfare and empowerment of women in the country as well as in Bihar, Irani highlighted the passage of Women's Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha and 50 per cent reservation to them in local bodies' seats in Bihar during the erstwhile NDA rule.
“Despite being in opposition, we had helped the then UPA government in getting the Women's Reservation Bill passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010, but unfortunately the ruling party could not muster numbers in the Lok Sabha,” she said.
The women would have got 33 per cent reservation in Parliament had the Congress ensured passage of the bill in Lok Sabha after Rajya Sabha had done so earlier, Irani rued.
Similarly, it was our colleagues like the then deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Nandkishore Yadav, a minister in the erstwhile NDA government, who had backed the state government's decision to provide 50 per cent reservation to women in local bodies, the BJP leader said.
She appealed to women to become BJP's ‘Sarathi' (charioteer) during the Assembly polls later this year saying “Our's is the only party which can cater to the aspiration of socio-economic empowerment of women”.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramkripal Yadav asked them to lend their support to the BJP in its mission for prosperity and development for all citizens.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh slammed the Nitish Kumar government for delaying allotment of land for the central university at Motihari and said the Union HRD Minister will lay foundation stone of the university on the very next day after the state government comes up with land.
Senior Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said his party will give scholarship to intermediate college girls in the event of being elected to power in the Assembly polls.
State unit BJP president Mandal Pandey and senior leader Nandkishore Yadav also spoke on the occasion.
