![\"Congress](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130363743,imgsize-1065450,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/kiren-rijiju.jpg\" "\\"Kiren")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: BJP on Saturday accused Congress of \u201cbetraying\u201d women and slammed the party and its allies for celebrating the defeat of the Constitution amendment bill seeking to implement women\u2019s reservation in Lok Sabha and assemblies with a 50% hike in Lok Sabha seats. \u201cCongress smiled smugly, thumped desks and celebrated the crushing of the political aspirations of ordinary women. Congress and its allies celebrated the fact that women who have struggled for years in politics and who were only demanding 33% reservation in Parliament were denied their rights,\u201d BJP\u2019s Smriti Irani said. Union minister Kiren Rijiju said opposition parties have inflicted a \u201cstain\u201d on themselves by defeating the bill and that they will not be able to wash it away. \u201cWe are sad, but we don\u2019t consider it a failure of the party and govt. They have hurt the women of the country. We wanted to give honour to women and empower them. We will continue to do so,\u201d he said, terming Congress \u201canti-women\u201d. Irani criticised the opposition\u2019s stance as a reflection of a \u201cfeudal mindset\u201d, alleging that it treats constitutional rights as political favours rather than entitlements. BJP\u2019s Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised Priyanka Gandhi over her remarks, questioning her charge that BJP was using women for its political benefits. \u201cWomen in India can\u2019t be treated as a commodity,\u201d he said<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n