CM speaks up for women’s empowerment

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday took a dig at the Opposition, particularly the Janata Dal (Secular), for having done nothing for women’s empowerment, apart from having a party symbol of a woman farm labourer. Making a pitch for women’s reservation in Parliament and State Assemblies, he said the Congress empowered women by reserving 50 per cent of seats in gram panchayats for them. Nearly 50,000 women have been elected to GPs and nearly 3,000 would be heading GPs for the next five years. Speaking at a function organised to hand over charge of the Karnataka Mahila Congress to Laxmi Hebbalkar here, he said the Opposition parties have never given serious thought to providing political reservation to women — right from GPs to Parliament. Uttar Pradesh Congress MLA Rita Bahuguna Joshi said the Congress would put pressure on the Modi government, which has majority in the Lower House, to pass the Bill to set aside 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies. Ms. Hebbalkar, who took over as president of the Karnataka Mahila Congress here on Friday, said: “There are several challenges before me. But the immediate one is to capture power in the coming BBMP elections.” -The Hindu