NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhury had yet another showdown in the lower house during the discussion on the women’s reservation bill tabled by the government yesterday.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi opened the debate on behalf of the Congress, saying that her party supports the bill.
After Sonia’s speech, BJP‘s Nishikant Dubey stood up to speak on behalf of the government.
As soon as Dubey started speaking, the opposition benches started raising objections, asking why the BJP has fielded Dubey and not a women MP to open the debate.
Shah promptly interjected, asking Adhir whether only women can speak for the benefit of women.
“I just want to ask Adhir Rajnan ji, can only women think in support of other women? Not men? What kind of a society do you imagine? In India, we have a culture where brothers are the first to step up and think about issues that are beneficial for women,” Shah said.
Shah quipped whether Adhir is feeling “jealous” that he didn’t get a chance to speak first on behalf of the Congress.
On Tuesday too, Shah and Adhir had faced off in Lok Sabha.
Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, making his first speech in the new House after the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill, claimed that the Bill introduced today was the one which was passed in Rajya Sabha by the Congress-led government in 2010.
“The Bill which was brought during Manmohan Singh’s time and was passed in Rajya Sabha, is still alive,” Chowdhury claimed in his speech.
His remarks led to immediate protests from the treasury benches. Union home minister Amit Shah immediately contradicted Adhir Choudhary and said that the Bill which was passed in the Rajya Sabha got lapsed with the 15th Lok Sabha.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi opened the debate on behalf of the Congress, saying that her party supports the bill.
After Sonia’s speech, BJP‘s Nishikant Dubey stood up to speak on behalf of the government.
As soon as Dubey started speaking, the opposition benches started raising objections, asking why the BJP has fielded Dubey and not a women MP to open the debate.
Shah promptly interjected, asking Adhir whether only women can speak for the benefit of women.
“I just want to ask Adhir Rajnan ji, can only women think in support of other women? Not men? What kind of a society do you imagine? In India, we have a culture where brothers are the first to step up and think about issues that are beneficial for women,” Shah said.
Shah quipped whether Adhir is feeling “jealous” that he didn’t get a chance to speak first on behalf of the Congress.
On Tuesday too, Shah and Adhir had faced off in Lok Sabha.
Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, making his first speech in the new House after the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill, claimed that the Bill introduced today was the one which was passed in Rajya Sabha by the Congress-led government in 2010.
“The Bill which was brought during Manmohan Singh’s time and was passed in Rajya Sabha, is still alive,” Chowdhury claimed in his speech.
His remarks led to immediate protests from the treasury benches. Union home minister Amit Shah immediately contradicted Adhir Choudhary and said that the Bill which was passed in the Rajya Sabha got lapsed with the 15th Lok Sabha.