Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief, Sharad Pawar, strongly opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent comments about the Congress and its allies’ stance on the Women’s Reservation Bill, emphasizing that they had wholeheartedly supported the bill, and attributing the Prime Minister’s statements to misinformation.
In a press conference held in the region, Pawar refuted PM Modi’s statement made in Madhya Pradesh, where he claimed that the Congress and its allies in the new “ghamandia” (arrogant) alliance had supported the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament “reluctantly.” Pawar insisted that this was not the case and said, “PM Narendra Modi spoke of Congress and ‘ghamandia’ allies supporting the Women’s Reservation Bill reluctantly. But this is not true. All of us have wholeheartedly supported the bill. The PM was not appropriately briefed.”
Pawar proceeded to highlight the historical contributions of the Congress, both in the Maharashtra state government and at the national level, in promoting women’s empowerment and ensuring adequate representation for women. He pointed out that the Congress government in Maharashtra under his leadership had introduced a women’s policy, marking a pioneering effort in the country.
Furthermore, Pawar lauded the Congress government at the central level for introducing the 73rd constitutional amendment, which secured a 33% reservation for women in local bodies. He also recalled his tenure as the Defense Minister, during which he played a role in granting an 11% reservation for women in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Addressing other topics, Pawar commented on his recent meeting with industrialist Gautam Adani in Ahmedabad. He clarified that the purpose of his visit was to inaugurate an industrial unit owned by a businessman from Baramati, with Adani being the chief guest at the event, which took place at the Sanand industrial estate.
On the subject of tensions between India and Canada, Pawar assured that he would align his stance with the policy of the Indian government, emphasizing his commitment as an Indian citizen.