NDA govt in Bihar uplifted women from shadow of helplessness, fear: Smriti Irani

Former Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Tuesday asserted that the NDA government in Bihar uplifted women from the shadow of helplessness and fear, paving the way for their empowerment.

Irani also said she was pained over the RJD's appeal to the Election Commission to “stall” the benefits of women's welfare schemes in Bihar.

“The ‘Jan Dhan Yojana’ has benefitted more than 3 crore women in Bihar, and 1.16 crore women have received benefits under the Ujjawala Yojana. We have also seen the fulfilment of the promise of toilets in each household,” Irani told reporters here.

“For me, it’s a matter of pain that on one hand, the NDA government is directly transferring money into the accounts of women beneficiaries in Bihar, while on the other, RJD leaders have given a written proposal to the EC to stall the benefits,” she said.

RJD MP Manoj Jha had written to the EC on October 31, accusing the Bihar government of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by transferring money to women under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana on October 17, 24 and 31.

Jha had claimed it constitutes a clear and deliberate breach of the MCC provisions that came into effect on October 6, following the announcement of the Bihar assembly election schedule.

Irani also said the NDA government passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament despite resistance from opposition parties.

“The women of Bihar are confident that the NDA will form government in Bihar again, and not the ‘thug bandhan’,” she said, in an apparent reference to the Mahagathbandhan in the state.

The Bihar assembly polls will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, while the counting of votes will take place on November 14.