BJP takes out torch rally demanding quota for women in Parliament, state assemblies

Hundreds of BJP workers on Tuesday took out a torch rally here demanding quota for women in Parliament and state assemblies. The rally led by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida and attended by Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal and Union Minister Jual Oram, marched from Raj Mahal Chhak to Master Canteen Square. The BJP workers blamed both the opposition Congress and the BJD for creating problems for the implementation of the women's quota in politics. ''All opposition parties, including Congress and BJD, opposed the bill. The BJD's support for Congress has surprised all. The people of India, particularly women, will not forgive the Congress and BJD,'' Parida said, adding that the bill could have facilitated 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The BJP leaders also targeted the Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, DMK, TMC and others. ''The opposition parties are family-centric parties. They only want to bring their own family women forward in politics. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to empower ordinary women. A woman who runs a family can also decide the policies of the country,'' Parida said. BJP state president Manmohan Samal said that the BJP will continue to fight for constitutional rights for women. The Congress and the opposition parties have jointly thwarted the 33 percent reservation, the genuine right of women. ''No one can stop this bill'', Union Tribal Affairs minister Jual Oram said. Earlier, the party had organised a 'Jan Akrosh Women's Padyatra' in Bhubaneswar on April 22. Similarly, on April 24 and 25, ''Jan Akrosh Women's conventions and Padayatra'' were held across the districts of Odisha.

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