BJP’s Amit Malviya counters Rahul’s ‘Smash Patriarchy’ pitch with numbers of women in power

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) BJP leader Amit Malviya on Sunday drew a sharp comparison between the Congress-led UPA years and the BJP-led governments since 2014, arguing that Rahul Gandhi’s “Smash Patriarchy” rhetoric collapses when measured against the actual entrustment of constitutional and executive power to women.

On his X handle, Malviya said empowerment should be judged not by speeches but by who is given real authority. He began with the highest office. During the UPA period from 2004 to 2014, Pratibha Patil served as President. Under the BJP-led government, Droupadi Murmu became India’s first tribal woman President.

On the chief ministerial front, Malviya noted that the UPA-era Congress had Sheila Dikshit in Delhi. In contrast, BJP-led governments have seen Anandiben Patel in Gujarat, Vasundhara Raje Scindia in Rajasthan and Rekha Gupta in Delhi.

Turning to the Union Cabinet, he listed four women Cabinet ministers under UPA: Meira Kumar, Ambika Soni, Selja Kumari and Chandresh Kumari Katoch, along with 11 ministers of state. Under BJP-led governments, the number of women Cabinet ministers rose to seven—Nirmala Sitharaman, Sushma Swaraj, Annapurna Devi, Smriti Irani, Maneka Gandhi, Uma Bharati and Najma Heptulla—while the ministers of state also stood at 11.

Malviya further pointed to governors. The UPA period had five women governors. The BJP-led period has had seven, including Anandiben Patel, Droupadi Murmu, Najma Heptulla, Mridula Sinha, Baby Rani Maurya, Anusuiya Uikey and Tamilisai Soundararajan.

In other key positions, he recalled Meira Kumar as Lok Sabha Speaker under UPA. Under BJP-led governments, Sumitra Mahajan held the same post, while Ruchira Kamboj served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Preeti Sudan as Chairperson of the UPSC.

Malviya concluded that the real test of empowerment is not how loudly patriarchy is denounced, but whether women are actually trusted with power.

“Women have been given the Presidency, chief ministerships, Cabinet portfolios, governorships and key constitutional and diplomatic positions under BJP-led governments. The record speaks louder than Rahul Gandhi’s slogans,” he said.

–IANS

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