PM Modi shedding crocodile tears on women's quota: Congress

New Delhi: Congress on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was shedding crocodile tears over the 33 per cent women quota and urged him to remove the condition of delimitation he put on its implementation.

Addressing a press conference, party's Social Media and Digital Platforms Chairperson Supriya Shrinate said it was categorically clear that what was defeated in the Lok Sabha was not the Women Reservation Bill but the Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation.

"The Women's Reservation Bill was passed in 2023. It was not defeated. Delimitation, which you wanted to thrust on the nation, was defeated. Modi is shedding crocodile tears," she said.

Referring to a cartoon, she said Modi is carrying a basket of 543 mangoes and is not giving 181 mangoes to women saying he can give it to them only if he can increase it to 850, which he alleges the Opposition is not allowing him to do.

She said if Modi was "really serious and sincere", he should bring a Bill to provide 33 per cent quota to women in the existing 543 seats immediately. "You have put a condition on the 2023 law. Remove that condition. You are the ones creating hurdles. You want to keep men happy and not reduce their seats," she said.

On Modi's remarks that he owed an apology to women, she said he was right as he owes them one for for what happened to two Manipur women, for what happened in Hathras and Unnao, on what happened with the women Olympians and how the convicts in Bilkis Bano case were honoured and he keeping silence every time.

"You are right. Women won’t forget their insults," she said while recalling his remarks against top Congress leader Sonia Gandhi as "Congress' widow", as well as statements like “Rs 50 crore girlfriend” besides comparing a woman MP with 'Shoorpanaka" and how he heckled Mamata Banerjee as 'Didi, O', Didi".

She also claimed that BJP does not give adequate representation to women in their party, by saying that there were only 31 women among its 240 MPs and only 164 in 1,654 MLAs. Among the 21 Chief Ministers, she said, BJP has given the post to only one woman.

"Five BJP lawmakers were facing serious rape charges and 54 MPs’ and MLAs’ names are mentioned in serious crimes like murder and rape," she said.