A day after former Union Minister Kantilal Bhuria courted controversy by claiming that men with two wives stand to gain ₹ 2 lakh under Congress's Mahalaxmi scheme, the Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the grand old party saying that its guarantees to respect women were just to see them as objects. Bhuria is Congress' Lok Sabha candidate from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh.
Reacting to Bhuria's comments, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla came down heavily on the Congress and said that the party's guarantees for women are for the 'vote bank' and the grand old party is aiming to give them more share if they increase their population. The BJP leader said that according to the Congress, the person with more wives will get more money.
Attacking the Congress, Poonawalla said, "Kantilal Bhuria has opened up all the schemes of Congress. He has shown that the so-called guarantees to respect women were just to see women as objects. It's a guarantee for the 'vote bank', to give them more share if they increase more population... Messaging here is, that the more wives you have, the more money you'll be getting. A few people are being told that we (Congress) will be standing with your personal laws, you do polygamy, we are with you. This is a disgusting thinking of Congress party."
On Thursday, Bhuria, stirred controversy by asserting that men with two wives would receive double benefits under his Congress's Mahalaxmi scheme, which pledged Rs 1 lakh annually to poor women. Addressing a poll rally in Sailana, Bhuria said, “Our manifesto promises Rs 1 lakh to ever every woman. It will be deposited in her bank account. (For) The person who has two wives, both of them will come under it”.