'At no point ... ': Shashi Tharoor refutes Kiren Rijiju's claim that he agreed Congress is 'anti-women'

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday pushed back against Union minister Kiren Rijiju over remarks suggesting that he had agreed the Congress could be seen as “anti-women”.The controversy stems from a conversation Rijiju referred to in an interview, where he claimed Tharoor had, in some sense, accepted the characterisation of his party during a discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill.Tharoor, however, rejected that claim outright and said his words had been misinterpreted. “I am sorry, but with the greatest respect for Kiren Rijiju, at no point did I say or imply any such thing - and I have seven witnesses in the photograph who can confirm that,” he said.He further dismissed Rijiju’s version of events, adding, “ 'That was what he meant', our minister says. No, sir, that is NOT what I meant. 'That Congress can be anti-women... he agreed in a way,' he added. I am sorry but I did NOT agree in any way.”Reiterating the Congress party’s position, Tharoor pointed to its past record on women’s representation and said the party has consistently backed reservation for women. “@INCIndia has stood for women's rights and women's reservation under a strong woman President in Sonia Gandhi, initiated the Women's Reservation Bill, passed it in the Rajya Sabha during our tenure and supported it in the Lok Sabha when it was brought by GoI in 2023,” he said.He added that the party remains committed to implementing reservation without tying it to delimitation. “We are totally in favour of women's reservation and are prepared to have it implemented right now -- without linking it to delimitation.”Rijiju had earlier said that while Tharoor himself could not be described as anti-women, the Congress could be viewed that way in the context of the debate. He claimed that during their exchange, both sides had broadly acknowledged each other’s points.In a post on X, Rijiju wrote, “Dr ShashiTharoor and I had agreed on one point. He is definitely not anti-women. May be because... he is highly popular amongst women, or Vice Versa !!”He also said in his interview that Tharoor had not objected to his assessment of the Congress. According to Rijiju, the two had reached a mutual understanding during the interaction.Tharoor, in his own account of the exchange, said the discussion took place after a parliamentary sitting, where it was acknowledged that he personally could not be labelled anti-women, a point he said Rijiju accepted.Sharing his broader view, Tharoor wrote, “A little post-adjournment gathering of Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha with our charming parliamentary affairs minister. When Kiren Rijiju explained why he & his party were calling the Opposition "mahila virodhi", it was pointed out to him that no one could ever call me anti-women! He conceded the point. Let's face it, women are by far the better half of the species.They're the improved models: Humans 2.0. They deserve representation in Parliament and in every institution. Just don't link their advancement to a mischievous and potentially dangerous Delimitation that could devastate our democracy,”The exchange comes against the backdrop of a recent parliamentary debate on women’s reservation. During a special session held from April 16 to 18, a constitutional amendment aimed at reserving seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies failed to pass in the Lok Sabha after falling short of the required two-thirds majority.Opposition parties had objected to linking the proposal to delimitation and the expansion of parliamentary seats, arguing that such conditions could delay or dilute its implementation.