Priyanka Vadra Cries Foul Over PM Modi Payout Plans For Bihar Women

With Bihar assembly elections around the corner, both the BJP and the Congress were seen wooing women voters. While PM Modi reached out to women in Bihar via video conference from Delhi, formally launching the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana that promised to reach out to 75 lakh women across the state. Under the scheme, women would receive Rs 10,000 each through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into their bank accounts. Modi described the initiative as a transformative step for entrepreneurship among rural women. In his address, PM Modi said the scheme was possible because of the Jan Dhan financial inclusion programme launched 11 years ago. He called the scheme part of the government’s effort to make women “Lakhpati Didis” — women earning at least Rs 1 lakh a year — under the central government’s campaign to create 3 crore such women nationwide. The launch of the Rs 10,000 scheme by PM Modi clearly upset the Congress and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. For a party that has come to power in two southern states — Telangana and Karnataka — on the basis of guarantees it was odd that Priyanka even questioned the basis of DBT pay-outs in Bihar and its timing. Speaking to groups of women, she said the promise of Rs 10,000 so close to elections was a transparent attempt to secure votes. Why didn’t BJP give you Rs 10,000 for the last 20 years. Priyanka announced a Congress poll promise of granting land ownership to women. She said every landless family in Bihar would receive 3 to 5 decimals of land, and that ownership titles would be in the names of women.