'Sonia Gandhi came to pull collar': BJP's Nishikant Dubey takes dig, recalls 2012 episode

A heated debate was witnessed in Lok Sabha on the third day of the special Parliament session in connection with the Women's Reservation bill. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey reminded Sonia Gandhi about the incident that took place in 2012 over the bill related to the reservation of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes in a bid to counter her Women quota debate.

Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday demanded that the quota be implemented immediately and provision should be made for reservation for SC, ST and OBC women. In response, Nishikant Dubey recalled how Congress humiliated and thrashed the members of its own alliance in the Well.

"Sonia Gandhi Tried To Grab Collar..."

Dubey said, “In this same House, Congress' V Narayanasamy was presenting a bill on promotional quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes. A SC leader from Samajwadi Party Yashvir Singh snatched the bill from Narayanasamy's hand and tore it down. And it was, Madam Sonia Gandhi ji who came to pull him by his collar in front of the entire Parliament."

"I then rushed to the front and told her (Sonia Gandhi) you are not our dictator, not a queen, you cannot resort to violence in the Parliament," he added.

Nishikant Dubey further stated that at that time, the late SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav said, "If BJP had not been present, the SP MPs would not have been alive. You tried to kill the MPs."

Taking a swipe at the opposition over its hypocrisy, the BJP MP said, "Now in 2023, they have become part of INDIA bloc of the 26 political parties that have a similar mindset with no intention to give reservations to women. And that's why they keep deviating from the issue by bringing up other issues."

Lok Sabha on Wednesday, September 20 passed the Women's Reservation Bill granting a 33% quota for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was passed after a reply by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. The Bill was passed following division with 454 members voting in favour of the legislation and two against it on the motion.

‘It’s Rajiv ji’s dream’: Sonia Gandhi on women's quota bill

Remembering her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi while speaking in Lok Sabha said, “This is an emotional moment of my own life as well. For the first time, the Constitutional amendment to decide women's representation in local body elections was brought by my life partner Rajiv Gandhi.”

“It was defeated in Rajya Sabha by 7 votes. Later, the Congress government under the leadership of PM PV Narasimha Rao passed it in Rajya Sabha. As a result, we have 15 lakh elected women leaders across the country through local bodies. Rajiv Gandhi's dream is only partially complete. It will be complete with the passing of this Bill,” she added.