Rijiju, Rahul trade barbs over women's quota bill rollout

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and Rahul Gandhi Saturday sparred over the women's reservation bill, when Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju urged LoP Rahul Gandhi to support the women's quota, and the latter shot back that it was passed by Parliament in 2023.The to and fro started when Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju seized upon a video of Rahul Gandhi on X in which he, espousing the cause of women's empowerment, said no country can progress without its women having the freedom to express themselves.To corner the LoP, Rijiju replied, "This seems to be a positive message from Congress. There's a visible change of heart in Rahul. Now, I hope they will support women's reservation bill unconditionally."Rahul shot back, "Rijiju, who would know better than you as minister of parliamentary affairs that the 2023 bill has already been passed unanimously. The question is, why has it still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation? Implement 2023 law. Without any conditions."Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.