india

Updated: Sep 10, 2019 19:45 IST

By asking party members to return ‘cut money’ (money extorted from beneficiaries of state-funded welfare schemes), Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress has exposed itself before the masses, Union minister of women and child development Smriti Irani said in North 24 Parganas district on Tuesday.

“However, when a woman is raped because she wants her money back or if people are assaulted, it exposes the Trinamool even more,” the Union minister said, referring to some recent incidents.

Irani made the remarks at a media conference organised by the Press Information Bureau to mark the completion of 100 days of the National Democratic Alliance government.

Reacting to Irani’s comment, state urban development minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said, “Today she is saying something but tomorrow she will make a different statement.”

At the media conference, Irani said abolition of triple talaq is one of the biggest achievements of the government and abrogation of Article 370 seeks to restore not only the rights of women and children of Jammu and Kashmir but also bridges the gap between people of the Valley and those living in other states.

The Narendra Modi government had been dedicated to repeal outdated laws that were legislative burdens on the citizens, Irani said and added that since 2014, a record 1486 laws have been repealed.