news details |
|
|
| Smriti Irani says she opposed paid period leave because... | | |  agencies
NEW DELHI, Dec 22: Union Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Smriti Irani said that she opposed the Menstrual Hygiene Policy because she did not want women to face discrimination and harassment at the workplace over it.
According to the Minister, menstruation is not a "handicap" and it shouldn't warrant a specific policy for "paid leave".
In an interview with news agency ANI, the Minister said, "When I spoke in parliament, I spoke from my personal experience because I don't want more and more women to be harassed."
The minister also said that the question that prompted the statement was intended either to shock, provoke or attract attention.
The minister added, "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."
The question was posed by Minister Manoj Kumar Jha as part of the list of questions for oral answers to be asked at a sitting of the Rajya Sabha on December 13.
As per Smriti Irani, the list of questions posed to the WCD minister was, "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."
Highlighting question 'C' of the list of questions, Ms Irani said that the question for promoting or providing a menstrual hygiene plan for gay men was intended either to shock, provoke or attract attention.
Speaking to ANI, Irani said, "Tell me, the honourable member wanted a response for the LGBTQIA community. Which gay man without a uterus has a menstrual cycle?
"The question was intended either to shock, provoke or to attract attention. Which it did. It did attract attention, it did shock many people, it did provoke controversy, but the question in itself indicates what the intent is," she asserted.
The minister further said, "Now when I talk about the issue outside the parliament and if I have to reflect on it as a female professional, the LGBTQIA, Manoj Jha wants me to provide an answer on how can I provide for gay men's menstrual hygiene. Is that applicable?"
Irani also said that Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha could get into trouble with the Chairman of the house for lying or insinuating on the menstrual policy.
"The second issue is that Jha says in his communication that Bihar has a policy of menstrual leave. He said this on the floor of the house," she said.
"If you look at my answer it talks about a policy that is available on the government website. The issue is that in his verbal intervention, he says Bihar has a policy, he insinuates, as though Bihar is an overarching policy which applies to the private sector," she stated.
"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," said the minister.
"I clearly said that Menstrual Cycle is not a handicapped possession that women have. I did not call it a disability," said Ms Irani.
Speaking further she said, "Somebody asked me why did you call it a handicap? I said you open any dictionary, the synonym for handicap is impediment, I did not say disability. Then that person says you don't know women suffer pain during the cycle?"
"Interestingly it was all men, somebody wanted to take out my uterus on the issue," Ms Irani said pointing out to the person who uploaded a post on social media in response to the WCD minister's statement on Menstrual Hygiene Policy. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
