'BJP hatao, beti bachao': Congress on International Women's Day

New Delhi: On International Women's Day, the Congress on Friday attacked the Modi government and said women across the country are demanding answers to questions such as why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited Manipur and is "silent" on allegations of sexual harassment by women wrestlers against a BJP MP.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it is International Women's Day today and "we don't expect the prime minister to do anything beyond paying salutary tributes to women".

"Nevertheless, here are some key questions that women across the country are asking him: Manipur has been in a state of virtual civil war since last year, and women have been among the most affected victims. Videos have emerged of women being assaulted and paraded naked - in a state that is experiencing a double-anyay regime of BJP in the state and the Centre. Why has the Prime Minister not even bothered to visit the state?" he said in a post on X.

"The prime minister has been conspicuously silent on the severe allegations of harassment levelled by women wrestlers against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh," Ramesh said.

What is the prime minister's stance on this issue and does Modi consider Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh a member of 'Modi ka Parivar', the Congress leader asked.

"Modi hain to mehengai hain! There has been a rapid rise in the prices of food and essential items. Does the prime minister have a plan to shield households from the brunt of this price rise?" Ramesh said.

He claimed that one of the hallmarks of the 'anyay kaal' has been the mass unemployment crisis.

"One particularly concerning consequence has been that women job seekers, discouraged from seeking employment, have dropped out of the workforce altogether," he said.

The percentage of women in the labour force is now 20 per cent lower than it was under former prime minister Manmohan Singh, a trend that can undermine the economy's long-term potential, Ramesh said.

Does the prime minister have a solution to bring women back into the economic mainstream, he asked.

Ramesh said, the prime minister launched the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme to great fanfare soon after coming to office in 2014, but it has since emerged that close to 80 per cent of the scheme's budget is earmarked for advertisements.

"Does the prime minister have a more meaningful vision to stop female infanticide and promote women's education? Or is the issue just another opportunity to slap his face on an advertisement and give him another means for branding himself?" he said.

"The women of India demand and deserve answers. BJP Hatao, Beti Bachao!" Ramesh added.