PM Modi Vows to Break Dynastic Brakes on Reservation

Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday criticized the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), TMC and DMK for delaying the women’s reservation bill in Parliament and assured women that he will ensure that their right to reservation is implemented in legislatures.

“I have come to seek prayers from all women for the beginning of Maha yagya,” she said at a women’s conference held in her Lok Sabha constituency. “As an MP from Kashi and the Chief Minister, I need your approval to achieve a major goal in the national interest: implementing women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.”

The Chief Minister lashed out at the SP, claiming that it was “difficult for girls to leave their homes” when the party was in power in Uttar Pradesh. He said that “pariwarwadi” (dynastic) parties such as Congress, SP, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and DMK had once again “betrayed women”.

“These pariwarwadi parties do not want girls to reach Parliament or Lok Sabha. These parties have curbed women’s reservation for the last 40 years,” Modi said, according to PTI.

He said that increasing women’s participation was also an important consideration behind the construction of the new Parliament building and the first major step taken here was the passage of the reservation law for women.

He asserted that after a law is enacted, it must be implemented, adding that discussions and legislative measures were brought in Parliament recently to ensure an early implementation of the law on women’s reservation.

Noting the high turnout of women voters in the Assembly polls in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, Modi said he was happy that women across the country had accepted “these intentions” of Opposition parties.

The Prime Minister said that the empowerment of a woman in the household strengthens the family, society and country.

Referring to past challenges, she said women, including those in Varanasi, had to struggle a lot, facing a lot of social restrictions and questions about their abilities.

Briefly switching to a mix of regional dialect and Bhojpuri, Modi said women and girls are often told, “What will you achieve by doing all this? You won’t be able to do this.” He added that sometimes they are not asked questions but simply told that certain tasks are beyond their abilities.

The Prime Minister said such experiences are not limited to Varanasi but are common across the country and are often considered normal. “When I became the Chief Minister of Gujarat nearly 25 years ago, I first tried to change such mindsets,” he said.

Modi said two major schemes for girls were launched at that time; one is to increase enrollment in schools and prevent school dropouts, and the other is to provide financial assistance through a special fund for girls’ education. “Since then, women’s welfare has remained a top priority of our policies,” he said.