Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor admitted the Congress party is "anti-women" [1].
This exchange highlights the ongoing political friction between the ruling party and the opposition in India, often blending personal banter between politicians with broader ideological own-goals.
According to Rijiju, the conversation took place on Tuesday during a post-Parliament session [2]. He said the admission came during a period of banter between the two politicians [1].
Rijiju said that Tharoor "accepted in a way" that the party's internal dynamics or policies are skewed against women [1]. The Union Minister emphasized that this admission was not a formal statement but part of a conversational exchange [1].
Tharoor has not yet provided a public response to these claims. The interaction occurred in the corridors of Parliament, which often serve as the same space for both formal legislative work and informal political maneuvering [2].
Throughout the political landscape in India, accusations of gender bias within parties are common. This specific claim by Rijiju serves as a further escalation of the narrative that the opposition party is out of touch with women's interests [1].
“Congress is 'anti-women'”
This incident underscores the tension between the ruling party and the ruling party's opponents. By framing a private, informal conversation as a public political weapon, Rijiju is leveraging a high-profile opposition member's perceived admission to criticize the Congress party's record on women's rights. This strategy is a common tactic in Indian politics to undermine the opposition's ability to znaczy own-goals of gender equality advocacy.
