BJP legislators on Friday staged a protest inside the Vidhana Soudha premises over the absence of women ministers in the recently expanded DK Shivakumar Cabinet.
“Such a state should have set an example for the entire country. But it is extremely unfortunate that, for the first time in the state’s history, the Legislative Assembly session is being held without a single woman minister in the Cabinet,” he alleged. There is currently no woman minister in the Shivakumar-led Cabinet.
Launching a strong attack on the Congress government, Vijayendra said women constitute 50 per cent of the population and should be given equal opportunities and adequate representation. Two months after taking charge, Shivakumar expanded his Cabinet on August 3 by inducting 19 ministers, taking its total strength to 33, including the chief minister.
He said dropping a woman minister’s name after announcing her proposed induction into the Cabinet was “insulting”. Vijayendra said there were reports that a woman would be inducted into the Cabinet, but her name was later dropped. He said the BJP strongly condemned the Congress government for “insulting” the women of Karnataka by denying them representation.
