New Delhi: Congress leader KC Venugopal on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led government over the Women's Reservation Bill asking who stopped the Centre from bringing the Bill for nine years.
"(BJP stalwarts) Lalkrishna Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee voted against the Women's Reservation Bill in 1989. Who stopped you from bringing this Bill for nine years? You lost nine and a half years. Where is the sincerity? You have a political calculation to bring this Bill," charged KC Venugopal in the Rajya Sabha during a discussion on the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
The Women's Reservation Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after which the Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Parliament, by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
"Why are you (government) running away from the caste census? We are proudly saying out of our four Chief Ministers, three are from OBCs, " added Venugopal, who represents Rajasthan in the Rajasthan.
Venugopal also lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking about the situation in Manipur and questioned that the BJP was speaking about women's empowerment.
"You are speaking about women's security, why Nirbhaya fund is unutilised," asked Venugopal, who is considered close to former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.
"This Bill has to be implemented quickly and there should be OBC reservation. This Bill is our (Congress) child, we are supporting it," he added.
According to Venugopal, the BJP wants to divert a lot of issues and hence they have brought this Bill. "Who is controlling their (BJP) party - the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), how many women are in RSS," he asked. Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav countered Venugopal saying that Congress leaders should take tuitions before speaking.
"Our Prime Minister is saying that he has 56 inches chest, then what is stopping them from implementing the Bill," Venugopal signed off.
Also read: Women reservation Bill a paradigm shift in Indian politics or a temporary fix
