New Delhi: The Congress’s women’s wing chief on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Women’s Reservation Bill issue, alleging that the ruling party’s “lack of conviction” was holding back the biggest social and political reform that India awaits.

All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev also claimed that women in the BJP had “no voice” with not a “single woman BJP MP or MLA” speaking out against the recent incidents of rape.

“The (Women’s Reservation) Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with the support of the BJP and other parties. Now, the BJP has the numbers in the Lok Sabha, which we did not in 2009 to 2014,” she told news agency PTI in an interview.

The BJP manifesto also expressly commits to it, but the ruling party has done nothing to revive the bill, the MP from Assam’s Silchar said.

“The Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) has agreed to support reservation, so has the TMC (Trinamool Congress), DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) and many other parties.

“It is only the lack of conviction of the BJP that is holding back the biggest social and political reform that India awaits,” Dev alleged.

Referring to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) that had expressed its opposition to the bill, the BJP has slammed the opposition party of adopting “double standards” on the matter by being in alliance with those opposed to the bill,

The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 9, 2010, but is stalled in the Lok Sabha.

The bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lower House and state legislative assemblies.

Ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to “demonstrate his commitment to the cause of women”, and ensure the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill during the session.

Dev also attacked the government over the Triple Talaq Bill, saying the Congress was for any law that empowers women, but it was worried over the BJP’s handling of triple talaq.

“The bill criminalised a civil wrong without any discussion whatsoever with stakeholders.

“Contrary to popular belief, this law is anti-woman. It pushes her into an adversarial position with her husband, so (it) closes the door for reconciliation,” she said.

Noting that the Supreme Court banned instant triple talaq because it gave no opportunity for reconciliation and was against Islam, Dev said the BJP has “no interest” in helping Muslim women as there is no provision for maintenance in the bill.

The contentious Triple Talaq Bill, which criminalises the practice of instant “talaq”, could not be taken up for passage in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session, owing to lack of consensus among political parties on the issue.

Dev asserted that Gandhi was aggressively working on the agenda of women empowerment and said the Congress chief consistently writes to her to raise issues impacting women.

“For Rahul ji, women are not just symbolic, but they actually exert power within the party. Many other parties have women in place, but with no voice.

“Recently, not a single woman BJP MP or MLA has spoken against the recent incidents of rape, especially in Unnao, where a BJP MLA is accused. So they have no voice. They are silent on price rise too,” Dev said.

The Congress president is committed to political empowerment of women. The party’s last plenary saw many more women enter the organisation, and the Congress Working Committee also has many prominent women, she noted.

Asked about why very few women were part of the Congress leadership, Dev said things were changing and cited examples of Selja Kumari, Asha Kumari, Ranjeet Ranjan holding key positions in the party.

“The work culture is changing in the Mahila Congress. We are working more scientifically in the field. We are better coordinated with the AICC office bearers. We will give a pool of trained women leaders,” she said.

Asked what were the key women’s issues the Congress would give priority in its manifesto for the 2019 polls, Dev, who was recently named in the manifesto committee set up by Gandhi, said, “It will be a people’s manifesto.”

“We will talk to women across different castes, communities, and then decide what to insert. As a party, we listen to people, we do not impose anything without consultation,” she said.