Success has many fathers and failure has none..: Smriti Irani on Women's Reservation Bill

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday took a jibe at the Congress party and criticised everyone for now taking credit for the Women's Reservation Bill adding that success has many fathers and failure has none. "They say success has many fathers and failure has none. So when the bill came, some people called it 'our bill', some people said they wrote letters on it, and some said they set the entire constitutional framework," Smriti Irani said while participating in the debate on the Bill in the Lok Sabha.

"When this bill was brought, some people said that it was 'our bill'. A respected leader (Sonia Gandhi) made her speech in the House, but I am especially thankful to her. We are repeatedly told that a special family got the 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution passed, but I am thankful that this noble work was done by PV Narasimha Rao. After his (PV Narasimha Rao) death, no opportunity was given to pay obeisance to him (PV Narasimha Rao) at the party headquarters," Irani said.

Notably, Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday called the Women’s Reservation Bill “ours”. “It is ours. Woh hamara bill hai [It is our bill],” Gandhi said as arrived in the Parliament on Tuesday," he added.

She further said "Sonia Gandhi in an article on the proposed bill had said that "no seat shall be reserved for women for belonging to SC/ST in the third general elections.....But the bill brought by this government guarantees reservation to women till 15 years after the implementation of this bill."

Hitting back at Congress who called the Bill 'jumla', Irani said that those who called it Jumla and said that it happened because they wrote several letters for it, at least they accepted that they kept insulting him (PM Modi).

"Today, those who called it Jumla and said that it happened because they wrote several letters for it, at least they accepted that they kept insulting him (PM Modi) but he read each of their communications and discussed it with them," Smriti Irani said. Applauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts on the Women's Reservation Bill, the Union Minister said "If we look from the perspective of the dignity of the Constitution, then (Goddess) Lakshmi has taken a Constitutional form through this (Women's Reservation) Bill."

Terming an "election jumla" and "a huge betrayal of hopes of women," Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi had any real intention to prioritise women's empowerment, the Women’s Reservation Bill would have been implemented immediately.

She further said that we have made women count and it is time for you to step up in the opposition, and not merely reduce your words to paper, to speech, but speak with action and support Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. It is worth mentioning that Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi began the discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha on the third day of the special session of Parliament.

Extending her support to the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023’ Bill, Sonia Gandhi demanded its immediate implementation. Ahead of her speech in Lok Sabha Sonia Gandhi said, “It was Rajiv ji's (Gandhi's) dream (Bill).” "This is an emotional moment of my own life as well. For the first time, the Constitutional amendment to decide women's representation in local body elections was brought by my life partner Rajiv Gandhi. It was defeated in Rajya Sabha by seven votes.

Later, the Congress Government, under the leadership of PM PV Narasimha Rao, passed it in Rajya Sabha. As a result, we have 15 lakh elected women leaders across the country through local bodies. Rajiv Gandhi's dream is only partially complete. It will complete with the passing of this Bill," Sonia Gandhi said in Lok Sabha.

She said the Congress party supports this Bill and is happy regarding the passage of the Bill but said there were concerns. Discussion for passing of the Bill in the House began today at 11 with Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introducing the amendments in the Bill.

The Bill will be taken up in Rajya Sabha on September 21, government sources said.