Shivakumar Hits Back at Rijiju Over Women Ministers
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has hit back at Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju after the BJP leader questioned the absence of women from the Karnataka Cabinet, opening another political front in the wider debate over women’s representation.
Shivakumar Hits Back at Kiren Rijiju
Rijiju targeted the Congress over women’s representation while challenging the party’s position on implementing reservation for women in legislatures.
He pointed to Karnataka, where the Congress government currently has no woman minister despite a major Cabinet expansion earlier this week.
Shivakumar rejected the criticism and defended his government’s record on women’s empowerment, arguing that the Congress administration has introduced major programmes aimed at financially and socially supporting women across Karnataka.
Karnataka Cabinet Has No Woman Minister
The issue has gained fresh attention after Shivakumar expanded his ministry by inducting 19 additional ministers, taking the Cabinet strength to 33 out of a possible 34.
Despite the expansion, no woman was inducted.
Gayathri Shanthegowda had initially figured among the names under consideration but ultimately did not take oath, leaving the expanded Cabinet entirely without female representation.
The absence of women has also previously drawn criticism from within the Congress, with senior party leaders questioning why women legislators were overlooked.
Women’s Reservation Fuels BJP-Congress Clash
The Karnataka controversy comes amid a wider confrontation between the BJP and Congress over the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
The BJP has accused the Congress of opposing steps required to operationalise the quota, while Congress maintains that it supports women’s reservation but objects to linking its implementation with delimitation.
The Karnataka Cabinet’s composition has now become another point of attack in that political battle.
