BJP attacks Congress over Konda Surekha’s removal from Telangana Cabinet

The BJP criticised the Congress over Telangana minister Konda Surekha’s removal, alleging hypocrisy on women’s political representation. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi questioned Congress leaders’ silence and contrasted the party’s record with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s women empowerment initiatives

New Delhi: The BJP attacked the Congress on Saturday over the sacking of Forest Minister Konda Surekha from the Council of Ministers in Telangana, alleging that the action shows the grand old party is against giving representation to women in politics.  Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy sacked Surekha with immediate effect on Thursday, amid a row over remarks made against him and others by the woman leader’s daughter. Surekha, on her part, claimed she did nothing wrong and accused Reddy of “blackmail politics.”

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi termed the sacking as “unfortunate” and said the action reflects the difference between the Congress’s words and its deeds. He also questioned the silence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the development. “Besides Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, who recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding immediate implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women (in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies), is also silent on the issue,” Trivedi said.

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“This has exposed their real face. The Congress is completely opposed to giving women representation in politics in its thoughts, words and deeds. The difference between the Congress’s words and deeds is clearly visible now,” the BJP Rajya Sabha MP added. With the removal of Surekha in Telangana, just three women ministers are left in the Congress-ruled states, Trivedi said. “In Congress-ruled Telangana, one of the two women ministers has been removed. In Kerala, there are only two women in the Cabinet. In Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka ruled by the Congress, there is not a single woman in the Cabinet,” he said.

The BJP leader said the Congress party, whose leader Prinaka Gandhi once raised the ‘ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon’ slogan, stands exposed for its “hypocrisy” over women’s empowerment. Unlike the Congress for which women empowerment is just a slogan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given “respect, opportunities and leadership” to women, he said.

Trivedi listed Modi government’s women empowerment measures, ranging from opening of Jan Dhan accounts, launch of Ujjwala Yojana and construction of toilets to granting permanent commissions to women in the armed forces, to claim a “consistency” between the prime minister’s words and actions. “When it comes to women empowerment, Prime Minister Modi is the symbol of credibility. He does what he says. Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, is the symbol of credibility crisis,” the BJP leader added.