Women’s welfare was never priority of previous governments: PM Modi

Targeting the Congress again, in a never ending row, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said women’s welfare was never a priority for previous central governments.

Speaking at the fifth national convention of the BJP Mahila Morcha, the prime minister said, “After exploring various options in the last six to seven decades, women in the country reposed faith in the BJP. Previous governments did not do anything to provide even basic facilities to women and (they) just made promises.”

“For the first time, the government’s flagship schemes are focusing on women,” he said, giving examples of Swachh Bharat programme, Ujjwala scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), where 75 per cent house owners are women.

“After exploring various options in the last six to seven decades, women in the country reposed faith in the BJP,” PM @narendramodi said.https://t.co/lS2qsaJf6M

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) December 22, 2018

“Eighteen crore of the total Jan Dhan bank accounts belong to women,” he said, adding that the male-female sex ratio has also improved, especially in Haryana which has had a dubious record in the past.

“Despite all hurdles and opposition from hardliners and opposition parties, the government is committed to making a law on triple talaq”, PM Modi said while speaking at the fifth national convention of the BJP Mahila Morcha.

“We are committed so that Muslim women can get rid of a big life threat. No just that. In order for Muslim women to go to Haj (pilgrimage), we have removed the clause that men need to accompany them”, he said.

Modi said the cabinet committee on security affairs for the first time included two women.”Besides, women have been inducted as fighter pilots in Air Force. There is a woman officer wing in the Navy. The government passed anti-trafficking bill and capital punishment will be given to rape convicts of minors,” he said.

“The country knows what their intentions and thoughts were. The political party that remained in power since decades only waited for time to come to bring about social changes and thinking regarding women. They were busy making promises”, he said, targeting the Congress.

“The country knows very well the approach and thinking of those who could not even have it as their priority to provide basic facilities to women in all these years,” he said, listing the schemes that his government launched for the betterment of women.

He continued to emphasise how those (Congress) who ruled India for 60-70 years failed to provide basic amenities for women’s welfare; adding the previous governments just kept waiting for the right time to usher social reforms and change in attitude.