No respect for women: NCP's Supriya Sule on Maharashtra cabinet expansion

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule slammed the ‘all male’ Maharashtra cabinet after not a single female got a place in the expanded cabinet.

With no representation for women in the Eknath Shinde-led cabinet, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule on Tuesday said the decision shows that the ruling parties in Maharashtra do not respect women.

A total of 18 MLAs- nine each belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena- took oath as cabinet ministers at a function held at Raj Bhavan.

Talking to reporters, Sule said it was “unfortunate and shocking” that not a single woman could find a place in the expanded cabinet.

Without taking state BJP president Chandrakant Patil's name, she said many times BJP leaders have expressed views that women should be confined to the kitchen.

“Many times people of that party express the view that women should be confined to the kitchen...it has started reflecting in their words and actions.

In May, Patil had taken a jibe at Sule asking her to “go home and cook”. He had later said he meant no disrespect to women.

“It is unfortunate that not a single woman found a place in the cabinet. Fifty per cent of the population of the country is women and not a single woman finding a place in the cabinet is shocking and surprising. This decision shows that they don't respect women,” she said.