'Opposition Neglected Muslim Women, We Empowered Them...': PM Modi In Vadodara

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his government had empowered Muslim women by tackling issues like Triple Talaq, while the opposition had failed to stand for their rights.

Vadodara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday strongly criticized opposition parties for neglecting the development of women for many years, and accused them of prioritizing their "political equations" while his government focused on empowering Muslim women by addressing issues like Triple Talaq. Continuing his critique of the opposition, PM Modi asserted that they did not stand for the rights of Muslim women. "If the opposition were genuinely concerned about women's development, they would not have kept them deprived for decades," PM Modi said while addressing the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Abhinandan Karyakram in Vadodara, Gujarat.

The PM was referring to the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Bill) which reserved one-third of seats for women in Lok Sabha and State assemblies, and claimed that the opposition parties mocked him when his government talked about providing toilets for women. 

"These are the same people who mocked me when I spoke about toilets for women, and when I spoke about Jan Dhan's accounts for women. They mocked the Ujjwala Yojana," PM Modi said.  He also slammed the Opposition parties for opposing the law against 'Triple Talaq'. 

"When we were talking about liberating Muslim women from triple talaq, they were concerned about their political equations. They were not worried about the rights of Muslim women, they were only concerned about their vote bank. When the law against Triple Talaq was brought, why did they not stand for the rights of Muslim Women?" PM Modi questioned. 

Before his speech, Prime Minister Modi, accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, held a roadshow in Vadodara.  A large crowd of supporters, predominantly women, filled the streets, displaying placards to welcome PM Modi as he rode in an open-topped vehicle adorded with flowers. 

Notably, a significant group of women led PM Modi's convoy, drawing cheers and chants from the local crowd.  Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi delivered a keynote address commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit at Science City in Ahmedabad.