Opposition betrayed women’s trust, will face consequences: Manohar Lal Khattar

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday termed the non-passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha as betrayal of public trust and of women across the country.

On Friday, while 298 members voted in support of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.

Khattar accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of obstructing the passage of the Bill and said they would face its consequences in the upcoming elections. They had lost the trust of the women, he said. Some members objected to the Bill as they feared they would lose their seat if quota for women became applicable.

Khattar made these comments while presiding over the BJP’s “Mahila Jan Akrosh Press Conference” here. He was accompanied by BJP women leaders and UP Minister for Women’s Welfare and Child Development Baby Rani Maurya.

Khattar said, “On April 16 and 17, a grave injustice was done to 50 per cent population of the country. I’m here to expose those behind it.”

Condemning the resistance to the Bill in southern states, Khattar said, “Opposition leaders’ resistance is rooted in fears that without delimitation, they will lose their seats (to women), if the Bill is passed. One of the Chief Ministers of a southern state even burnt copies of the Bill in Chennai. There can’t be anything more condemnable.”