ACTION PUNJAB NEWS Desk: Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani sparked debate after she opposed the idea of paid period leave for women in Rajya Sabha last week. Her statement came as she answered a question by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) member Manoj Kumar Jha.
“As a menstruating woman, menstruation and the menstruation cycle are not a handicap; it’s a natural part of women’s life journey…” Irani had said.
This sparked a debate among citizens, with many accusing the government of “ignorance” of women’s struggles, while others agreed with the Union Minister.
Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD) stated that she opposed the Menstrual Hygiene Policy because she did not want women to face discrimination and harassment at work as a result of it.
The Minister told the news agency ANI, “When I spoke in parliament, I spoke from my personal experience because I don’t want more and more women to be harassed.”
According to the minister, the question that prompted the statement was meant to shock, provoke, or attract attention.
He went on to say, “I could’ve said much more on the issue but I didn’t because the gentleman who asked the question never intended to find a solution for women.”
Minister Manoj Kumar Jha posed the question as part of a list of questions for oral answers to be asked at a Rajya Sabha meeting on December 13.
According to Smriti Irani, the WCD minister was asked the following questions: “Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state: a/ Whether govt is planning to roll out a Menstrual Hygiene Policy soon b/ If so, the details thereof c/ whether the policy contains provisions to promote and provide for menstrual hygiene among the LGBTQIA community.”
Irani highlighted question ‘C’ on the list of questions, saying that the question about promoting or providing a menstrual hygiene plan for gay men was meant to shock, provoke, or attract attention.
“The second issue is that Jha states in his communication that Bihar has a menstrual leave policy.” “He said this on the house floor,” she explained.
“If you look at my response, you’ll notice that I mention a policy that is available on the government website. The problem is that in his verbal intervention, he says Bihar has a policy as if Bihar is an overarching policy that applies to the private sector,” she explained.
“Bihar doesn’t have a private sector policy, the chair can pull him up for lying or insinuating. Bihar may have in 1992, a policy for paid leave for women in government not private,” she added.
“I clearly said that Menstrual Cycle is not a handicapped possession that women have. I did not call it a disability,” Irani stated.
– With inputs from agency
