‘BJP hatao, beti bachao’: Congress on International Women’s Day

He claimed that one of the hallmarks of the “anyay kaal” has been the mass unemployment crisis.

“One particularly concerning consequence has been that women job seekers, discouraged from seeking employment, have dropped out of the workforce altogether,” he said.

The percentage of women in the labour force is now 20 per cent lower than it was under former prime minister Manmohan Singh, a trend that can undermine the economy’s long-term potential, Ramesh said.

Does the prime minister have a solution to bring women back into the economic mainstream, he asked.

Ramesh said, the prime minister launched the “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” scheme to great fanfare soon after coming to office in 2014, but it has since emerged that close to 80 per cent of the scheme’s budget is earmarked for advertisements.

“Does the prime minister have a more meaningful vision to stop female infanticide and promote women’s education? Or is the issue just another opportunity to slap his face on an advertisement and give him another means for branding himself?” he said.

“The women of India demand and deserve answers. BJP Hatao, Beti Bachao!” Ramesh added.