"Yes, Jayalalithaa Was Strong Leader", DMK's Kanimozhi Retorts In Women's Bill Debate

Ms Kanimozhi also named other senior women politicians, including Bahujan Samaj Party boss Mayawati, ex-Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Women "do not want to be put on a pedestal... worshipped" DMK MP Kanimozhi said in Parliament today in a heated debate on the women's reservation bill. Swatting aside hecklers at the start of her speech, she also invoked the spirit of strong women politicians, including former AIADMK boss J Jayalalithaa, her party's fierce rival and the late ex-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, and the late former union minister Sushma Swaraj, who was one of the Bharatiya Janata Party's tallest leaders. #WATCH | Women's Reservation Bill | DMK MP Kanimozhi says, "I myself have raised this issue of bringing the Reservation Bill many times in Parliament. To many of my starred and unstarred questions, the Govt's reply was very consistent. They said that they have to involve all… pic.twitter.com/8gAJzAbopa

In a speech that included quotes from Tamil poets and activists, Ms Kanimozhi criticised the BJP over the "jack-in-the-box" women's bill and seemed to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "chosen by God" remark; "some leaders (believe) if a woman is strong, she becomes a 'devil'".

READ |"Chosen By God For Pious Task": PM Pushes Women's Bill In New Parliament