The Delhi Police on Saturday detained several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) women MPs who were marching towards the residence of Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The protest was held against the opposition after the 131st Amendment to the Constitution, aimed at introducing women’s reservation, failed to pass in the Lok Sabha.
Foreign Minister Raksha Khadse and BJP MPs Bansuri Swaraj and Kamaljeet Sehrawat were among those detained, along with other party leaders. Police also used water cannons to disperse a group of protesting women heading towards Rahul Gandhi’s residence.
The BJP accused the Indian National Congress (INC) of being “anti-women” by raising slogans and displaying banners after 230 opposition MPs voted against a constitutional amendment that required a two-thirds majority for approval. BJP workers also burnt an effigy of LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to demonstrate their outrage over the failure of the bill.
“The entire opposition, especially LoP Rahul Gandhi, betrayed the women of this country yesterday. They stabbed the women. They want the role of women to be limited to the polling booths only. When it comes to political representation, they prioritized their selfishness and became the object of women’s wrath. They betrayed the women,” Swaraj said.
She added that their peaceful protest was disrupted by water cannons, but added that no such action could deter them from standing up for women in the country.
(This is a developing story. More to come)
