On March 25, 2024, controversy engulfed the political landscape of New Delhi as Congress’ social media in-charge, Supriya Shrinate, faced backlash for a contentious post against actor and BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut. The day also saw the Congress party critiquing the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for slashing the budget dedicated to women’s welfare projects by highlighting five significant concerns. Supriya Shrinate clarified that her contentious social media post had not been written by her but by someone else who had access to her account.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, enumerating the Modi government’s shortcomings through a series of posts, painted a grim portrait of the last decade, during which women-centric initiatives supposedly suffered due to negligence. Undermined funds, heightening crime rates against women and children, Anganwadi workers’ dismal remuneration and treatment, growing cases of anaemia, and unemployment among women were the failures he spotlighted. The crime rate against women, according to him, has seen a twofold increase over ten years, and the Nirbhaya fund created for safety measures remained largely unutilised, with only 35% of the funds deployed by 2022.
In a clash of narratives, Union Minister Smriti Irani ferociously retaliated against Jairam Ramesh, ridiculing his allegations as fallacies deliberately crafted by a ‘courtier of the Gandhis’. She asserted that the BJP government has been proactive in its endeavors to battle crimes against women and had effectively utilised 75% of the Nirbhaya Fund. Programs such as ERSS and Women Helpline have been successful initiatives implemented under the current government, according to her claims. Smriti Irani pointed to the augmented funds for women and girls, emphasizing a triple increase since the 2014-15 budget and dismissing Ramesh’s claims as the manipulation of numbers. She contrasted the performance and dedication of the Modi government in advancing women’s rights against the previous UPA regime, which was denoted as negligent.
The verbal battle comes at the cusp of the Lok Sabha election for 543 seats, set to be conducted in seven phases from April 19, with votes counted on June 4. While Congress promises to rectify ’10 years of anyaay-kaal for women’, BJP stands firm on their track record for women’s welfare. Both parties are locked in a heated debate over who indeed champions the ‘Nari Shakti’ as they face the verdict of the nation’s populace.