'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' has brought a lasting change: Maneka Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday said that being a Member of Parliament is an immense responsibility as it entails safeguarding the trust of lakhs of voters and the task demands unwavering commitment, moral rectitude and courage.

Speaking at the joint sitting of two Houses of Parliament ahead of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha moving to the new building, Maneka Gandhi hailed the government’s 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign saying it changed the entire thought of the country and the statistics show a lasting change.

Maneka Gandhi, who is the longest-serving among sitting Lok Sabha parliamentarians, said she entered Parliament as an MP when she was 32 and has spent most of her adult life in this institution and has seen seven Prime Ministers and the shaping of grand history.

“This is a historic day today and I am proud to be a part of this historic moment. We are going to a New Building and hopefully, this grand edifice will reflect the aspirations of a new Bharat. Today, I have been entrusted with the responsibility of addressing this esteemed assembly as the most senior parliamentarian in the Lok Sabha... I have spent most of my adult life in this institution and I have seen seven Prime Ministers and the shaping of grand history,” she said.

“It has been an arduous rocky road. I had several terms as an independent member and finally joined the BJP under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Since then I have remained a proud member of BJP and this August House. I have tried to make the most of every minute I have spent here," she added.

The former union minister said she is grateful for the honour given of speaking about her years in Parliament She said the Modi government has worked to address “deep-rooted asymmetry” in society. "This is a historic day today. I'm proud to be part of this historical moment when the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undertaken to repair the deep-rooted asymmetry and to give an equal share to India's future to all of us women," she said.

“You can change things wherever you're, for instance in opposition as BJP member, as chairperson of the often ignored Assurances Committee. we changed the way people were experimented by pharmaceutical companies. They were not paid or not even asked before becoming guinea pigs. This was changed by us,” she added.

Maneka Gandhi said MPs get an opportunity to make a difference. “Being a member of parliament is an immense responsibility as it entails safeguarding the trust of lakhs of voters who elect us to be their voice,” she said. “You're given power but this power be always used for their good. The job demands unwavering commitment, moral rectitude and courage.

Basically, it demands great love for your country and infinite kindness towards all. Each one of us gets this opportunity to make a difference provided we sublimate our own ambitions and see ourselves only as vessels or bridges or protectors of all the beings that need us that last person in India…,” she added.

Maneka Gandhi recalled the work under the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign which was launched by PM Modi when she was the Union Women and Child Development Minister.

“My happiest moment was being given the responsibility by the Prime Minister who coined the phrase 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'. Within two years, we changed the entire thought of the country and the statistics show that it is a lasting change,” she said.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) was launched by PM Modi in January 2015 at Panipat in Haryana. It seeks to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women's empowerment over a life-cycle continuum.