BJP accuses Congress of nepotism and insulting women in selection of LS election candidates
Monday, 25 March 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the Congress of nepotism and insulting women in its selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha election. Addressing the media here on Sunday, Rajya Sabha member and the party’s election management committee convenor Naresh Bansal said that the Congress fielding Virendra Rawat, the son of former chief minister Harish Rawat reeks of nepotism. The Congress did not field a single woman candidate, he pointed out.
Bansal said, “It is undemocratic and unfortunate that the Congress ignored its ground workers and fielded a member of the former chief minister’s family for the fourth time. The party first launched Harish Rawat’s elder son, then his wife and then his daughter before fielding his younger son but the people of Uttarakhand have never favoured nepotism. Like the launching of the Gandhi family, this launching of the Rawat family is also bound to fail. We sympathise with all those Congress workers in Haridwar who have to support such nepotism. We believe that like the voters, the self respecting Congress workers in Haridwar will also reject this tradition.”
He further said that the Congress had not fielded a single woman candidate in Uttarakhand which amounts to insulting women. “The Congress which plays politics by spreading confusion on women’s issues has once again been exposed by its decision to not field even a single woman in the five Lok Sabha constituencies. The Congress utilised its women leaders in an unsuccessful attempt to dent the support enjoyed by the BJP but didn’t find even a single woman leader worthy of contesting the election.
On the other hand, the BJP has taken concrete steps to enhance the honour, capability and participation of women. Our government in Uttarakhand has provided 30 per cent horizontal reservation for women in government jobs. Further, 33 per cent reservation in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha for women was also facilitated. Earlier, we also provided 50 per cent reservation for women in Panchayats. Our government is implementing various schemes aimed at making women socio-economically empowered,” Bansal said.
