No female ministers worked for women in past 5 yrs: Apsara Reddy

Mumbai: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spread fear in the past five years, Rahul Gandhi is doing “dil se rajniti” (politics from the heart), said Apsara Reddy, national general secretary of the All India Mahila Congress.

“The people should vote for the idea of India. On the eve of the Lok Sabha polls, our Prime Minister is avoiding discussion on national issues such as women’s empowerment, child rape, unemployment and farmers’ issues,” she said. She further accused women ministers in the Modi government of not working for women’s empowerment.

While speaking to The Asian Age  in an exclusive interview, she slammed the Modi government saying Mr Modi was doing “unfair politics”.

The people respected India as a secular country. “Now, the Modi government has dragged India back into the Sadhvi and Yogi era and discussions on cows and temples,” she said. According to her, the Modi government had spread more fear in the past five years.

“It has become more important to prove who is more Hindu and who is more Muslim,” she said.

India’s identity in the world was that of the largest and most peaceful democracy. The country’s identity was far greater than religion or community.

“Our PM made us fight by pitching community against community. Mr Modi has done nothing for women, farmers and Dalits. He is also lying when he says that child rapists have got death punishment but no one has been punished in child rape cases,” she said.

She targeted women ministers in the Modi government saying, “Women ministers in his government have done nothing for women’s empowerment. Screaming in parliament does not mean women’s empowerment,” said Reddy.

About Smriti Irani now saying that she would not continue in politics if Mr Modi left politics, Reddy said, “Is she serving the country or Mr Modi?” About Maneka Gandhi saying that is Muslims vote in large numbers, more work will be done for them, she said, “Are they serving the country or themselves?”