Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced that the state would soon have a woman minister, amid opposition criticism over the lack of female representation in the recently expanded Cabinet. Speaking at the India Today Karnataka Roundtable, Shivakumar, who took over as the chief minister just two months ago, underscored that the Congress was committed to women’s representation in the Cabinet.
“We will definitely have a woman minister soon, probably in the next 2-3 days,” the outspoken Karnataka Chief Minister said.
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Following a protracted tussle with his bete noire Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar was sworn in as the chief minister along with 13 ministers on June 3. Nearly two months later, Shivakumar expanded his Cabinet by inducting 19 ministers, taking its total strength to 33.
However, the glaring absence of a woman minister attracted vehement criticism from the BJP, especially amid Rahul Gandhi’s emphasis on women’s empowerment. Moreover, the Congress has also gone hammer and tongs against the BJP for delaying the implementation of 33% women’s representation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Reacting to it, Shivakumar emphasised that the Congress was committed to ensuring greater representation for women.
“The Congress is committed to the ideology,” he stressed, underlining that it was Sonia Gandhi who had moved the resolution on women’s reservation.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
