Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated his support to the long-standing issue of Women’s Reservation Bill and said the UPA will reserve 33 per cent seats for women in government jobs if voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections.
Gandhi told reporters in Chennai, “Not just in Parliament and state legislatures, Congress will reserve 33 per cent of all posts and vacancies for women in central govt, central govt organisations and CPSUs. We also want to increase the expenditure on education (in the budget) and are discussing with the manifesto committee to make it 6 per cent, The Indian Express reported.
Gandhi said the Congress would pass the women’s reservation bill if it comes to power. “Don’t see enough women in leadership positions. You cannot have women in power in India until the attitude towards them changes,” he said.
Earlier while addressing women students at a college in Chennai, he said the Congress will change the mood of the country and make people feel happy and empowered.
Targetting the ruling party over jobs and demonetisation, Gandhi said, “Everyone believes that Narendra Modi is a flop show when it comes to job creation and employment. After 2019, there will be nobody in India below the minimum income line. This is a revolutionary idea that we are studying.”
Meanwhile, on a question on his brother-in-law Robert Vadra, he said the law must apply to everybody and not be applied selectively.
During the address, he also brought up the issue of the Rafale deal and reiterated his allegations about the pricing of the aircraft and the process.
“I will be the first person to say it… Investigate Robert Vadra but also investigate Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
Modi is a “corrupt” man, he bypassed negotiations and ran parallel negotiations on the Rafale deal, Gandhi alleged while responding to the question, PTI reported.
The Congress chief said the prime minister should have guts to face the media and asked why Modi was “hiding”.
