In a bid to woo voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced on Friday that his party plans to allocate 50 per cent of government jobs to women if they come into power.
Asserting that empowered women will alter the fate of the nation, the former Congress chief raised questions on why only one out of every three women is currently employed and why there is only one woman for every ten government jobs.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi took to his official handle on X and wrote, “Isn’t the population of women in India 50 percent? Is the presence of women in higher secondary and higher education not 50 percent? If so, then why is their share in the system so low?”
“Congress wants, ‘Aadhi Abaadi Poora Haq’. We understand that women’s potential will be fully utilized only when women have equal contribution in the government running the country,” he noted.
He further added that as a result, Congress has decided that half of all new government job recruitments should be reserved for women.
“We are also in favour of the immediate implementation of women’s reservation in Parliament and in assemblies,” Gandhi remarked.
The Wayanad MP also stated that women with secure income, future, stability, and self-respect will truly become the strength of society. “Having women in 50 percent of government posts will give strength to every woman in the country, and powerful women will change the destiny of India.”
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Congress released its eighth list of candidates, comprising 14 names. Notably, it pits Rao Yadvendra Singh against Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna constituency. The party fielded Pratap Bhanu Sharma against former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Vidisha, while Tarvar Singh Lodhi was nominated from Damoh.
Notably, Congress has named 208 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in seven phases commencing from April 19.