“Everyone in this room has been influenced, taught and taught so much by the women in their lives,” Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition, said in the Lok Sabha on Friday, while praising his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in particular.
“Yesterday I was watching my sister (Priyanka, who spoke in the Lok Sabha on Thursday) achieve something in five minutes that I have not been able to achieve in 20 years of our political career, which is making (Home Minister) Amit Shah Gee He smiled. Priyanka Gandhi and Amit Shah were not present, but it led to laughter across party lines. Priyanka came later, he said.
He said he also wanted to learn that from her.
“I felt very proud as her elder brother,” he added, as he continued to tell their late grandmother Indira Gandhi’s story of overcoming fears.
The smile Amit Shah was referring to came when Priyanka Gandhi, in a lighthearted banter with the minister, mocked him, saying that even legendary political analyst Chanakya would be “shocked” by the “political machinations” of Shah and the BJP.
What did Priyanka say?
He spoke during the ongoing special session of the Lok Sabha to discuss the three bills that seek to increase seats from the current 543 seats to a maximum of 850 seats (816, at present, according to Shah) to give one-third representation to women.
Priyanka said the bills are a way for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to retain power.
“The current government is once again trying to deceive the nation, launching a major attack on the integrity of the country. On the one hand, it talks amply about women empowerment, while on the other hand, it is quietly taking away the rights of NGOs and weakening some states. By undermining democracy in India, it is building a framework to strengthen its party before the next elections,” Priyanka said as she saw a smiling Amit Shah across the aisle.
When she made fun of Shah
“The Home Minister is laughing. Their entire plan is ready,” she said, smiling her trademark smile, adding, “If Chanakya were alive, he would be shocked by your political machinations.” The house burst into laughter.
The Congress said the BJP wants to use the amendment to the women’s quota rule as a smokescreen to carry out gerrymandering, which means a change in the Lok Sabha map for political gain. She said that she supports separating the women’s quota from the border demarcation step.
Speaking after Priyanka, Shah sought to emphasize that the increase in Lok Sabha would not lead to discrimination against any state.
He provided details on the number of seats that would be increased for the southern states – and promised a fixed increase of 50%. He said that, therefore, the representation of all these states will remain at the same current proportions even after the increase in seats.
Congress has indicated that the bills provide nothing of the sort.
The original Women’s Quota Bill 2023 was due to come into force after the last census, but the bills will now give the government powers to use any census. Population increase, now or later, means that northern India will get more seats, while the south, which has succeeded in the national family planning policy, will eventually get a smaller share.
