Several Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandh have raised questions about the Centre’s stance on the exclusion of women at the event.
NEW DELHI — Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, on Saturday backed Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s criticism of the Centre over the Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s press conference in Delhi, where women journalists were not permitted to participate.
Several Opposition leaders have raised questions about the Centre’s stance on the exclusion of women at the event.
Muttaqi, a senior leader in the Taliban government, is known for overseeing policies that severely restrict women’s rights in Afghanistan, including bans on employment and education.
India has maintained a cautious stance towards engaging with the Taliban due to its human rights record and concerns about Afghanistan becoming a haven for terror groups.
Reposting Priyanka Gandhi’s X post, Rahul Gandhi said, “Mr Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them.”
He said that in India, women have the right to equality in every sector and slammed the Centre’s silence over the press conference issue.
“In our country, women have the right to equal participation in every space. Your silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the emptiness of your slogans on Nari Shakti,” Rahul Gandhi added.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Priyanka questioned how the Central government is committed to women’s empowerment if such insults towards female journalists are allowed in India.
In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, please clarify your position on the removal of female journalists from the press conference of the representative of the Taliban on his visit to India.”
“If your recognition of women’s rights isn’t just convenient posturing from one election to the other, then how has this insult to some of India’s most competent women been allowed in our country, a country whose women are its backbone and its pride,” she said.
The Centre, however, denied any role in the “ban” on women journalists in Muttaqi’s press conference.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that invitations to the press event were sent by Afghanistan’s Consul General in Mumbai to selected journalists based in Delhi for the Afghan minister’s visit. The Afghan Embassy’s premises are outside Indian government jurisdiction, NDTV reported, quoting the ministry.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday sought clarification from the Centre over Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s press conference in Delhi, where women journalists were not permitted to participate.
She questioned how the Central government is committed to women’s empowerment if such insults towards female journalists are allowed in India.
In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, please clarify your position on the removal of female journalists from the press conference of the representative of the Taliban on his visit to India.”
“If your recognition of women’s rights isn’t just convenient posturing from one election to the other, then how has this insult to some of India’s most competent women been allowed in our country, a country whose women are its backbone and its pride,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also lashed out at the Centre for extending diplomatic courtesies to the Taliban delegation.
“The Indian foreign ministry has laid out the red carpet for this man, this Taliban foreign minister who has had the gumption to ask for women to be removed from a room where he is having a press conference, and we are giving this delegation official status and providing them protocol,” she said.
Centre denies involvement as row erupts over exclusion of women journalists
Meanwhile, India on Saturday stated that it had “no role to play” in the press conference held by Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that invitations to the press event were sent by Afghanistan’s Consul General in Mumbai to selected journalists based in Delhi for the Afghan minister’s visit. The Afghan Embassy’s premises are outside Indian government jurisdiction, NDTV reported quoting the MEA.
The press conference took place on Friday at the Afghan Embassy, where no women journalists were present. Reports indicated that some female reporters were even prevented from attending. Following the event, many journalists voiced their disapproval on social media, noting that all women present had adhered to the prescribed dress code. — IANS
