New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday targeted Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her remarks on the outcome of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Smriti Irani accused the Congress leader of “being happy” following the Bill’s defeat, which seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation for women.

Her reaction came after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, during a press conference, described the defeat of the Bill as a “huge victory for democracy”.

The Congress MP had said: “The government’s conspiracy to alter the federal structure and weaken democracy was defeated and halted. This was a victory for the Constitution, for the country, and for the unity of the Opposition. It was clearly visible on the faces of the ruling party leaders.”

Speaking to IANS, Smriti Irani said: “Just think about it. How can a politician, that too a woman, be happy that she defeated other women who belong to common households?”

She alleged that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was laughing during her press conference and added that “Congress women lost in Uttar Pradesh too”.

Blaming the Congress, Irani said, “The tactics adopted by the opposition yesterday make it clear that they do not want, and never have wanted, nor will they ever want, women to receive 33 per cent reservation.”

“In 2023, the Congress, while passing the Bill, had asked for its immediate implementation. But during the last two days, when the NDA government wanted to implement the Bill, the Congress backtracked,” she said.

Accusing the party of adopting double standards, she said, “The Congress is so hypocritical that it now says it does not trust the Delimitation Commission. Then how do we do it?”

“The reality is they don’t believe in giving women the 33 per cent reservation,” the BJP leader asserted.

Targeting Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, she said, “All those who were in favour of women having equal rights and representation wanted the Bill to pass.”

Further, Irani said, “If the Gandhi family has defeated anybody yesterday, for which they are celebrating, it is the common women of the nation.”

“In order to defeat BJP, they (Congress) will have to contest the election of 2029,” she added.

–IANS

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