Live: Woman must be free to choose career, marriage, says Modi during "Chai pe Charcha"

New Delhi: BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Saturday said discrimination was a big problem faced by women and called for them to have freedom to make choices about their career and marriage.Interacting with women from different parts of the country through video conferencing at "Chai pe Charcha (discussion on tea)" at the Bharatiya Janata Party office here, Modi said that there should be more women in legal profession as well as in police."One of the big problems is discrimination. There is one attitude towards the son and another towards the daughter. To end this discrimination, there is need of social awareness," he said.Modi said there should be "no compromise attitude" on issues concerning women."(They) should have freedom of birth, freedom of education...freedom to choose time of marriage, freedom to choose career. They should have a say in deciding the size of family," he said.BJP leaders said that women from several locations in the country were taking part in the second round of "Chai pe Charcha" with Modi. The event was organised on International Women's Day.The "Chai pe Charcha" programme is an effort by BJP to woo voters ahead of Lok Sabha elections, in context of Modi's references to his humble origins as "tea seller" and the attacks by some opposition parties on him on this issue.Here we are giving you live updates on Modi's tea talk:07:50pm - Narendra Modi concludes the Chai Pe Charcha interaction and thanks everyone for joining the Charcha.07:25pm - Modi:We have a Samras Gram Yojana where village people elect local bodies by consensus. We have all women Samras Grams also.Women must become integral part of the decision making process.Women must become integral part of the decision making process.07:20pm - Modi: Kiran ji your suggestions are very good. I want to share some of my experiences also- we have CM fellowship programme. We select 12-15 students- they leave a lot behind and work in our departments. They get a lot of exposure & governments get fresh air.07:15pm - Modi: We should give students internships in government offices. This can be a part of their schooling.Lets make a crime prevention plan where we chalk out roles of various stakeholders. This will help police also.Student cadet service will go a very long way in crime prevention.We need a school for political governance. This is for children who have inclination towards governance. 07:12pm - Kiran Bedi: You have excellent ideas. We are waiting for you to implement them. They will change India.07:10pm - Modi: All the gifts I get as CM are given to Government treasury and the auction is done. Proceeds go to girl child education6:45pm -Modi: Good raw material is very important for Mahila Gruh Udyog.Packaging is very important. The better the packaging and branding the better it is.6:45pm - A lady from Ahmedabad asks - what steps will you take for Mahila Gruh Udyog?6:40pm -Modi: Economic freedom is a very important part of women empowerment. They must be partners in economic development also. Economic freedom is a very important part of women empowerment. They must be partners in economic development also. Women are very quick at adapting to latest technology and we should link women to the technology upgradation. Micro finance and value addition are very important. A holistic approach can help a lot.School children need to visit police stations, see how it works...this will help & make police familiar with people, youngsters.We have started Raksha Shakti University...youngsters can get educated in policing related aspects6:25pm -Every problem has a solution- you just need to have right vision and approach.Every man must be ashamed if a man commits a crime against women. Centre set up Rs. 1000 crore Nirbhaya Fund. From what I know not a single penny has been spent.They also added more money but nothing has been done.I read that a call centre for women safety has been closed down because people weren't paid. This reflects non sensitive attitude.6:20pm - A lady from Saket (Delhi) asks a question on the safety and security of women.6:15pm - Modi: If we educate a women we don't only educate a family but we educate generations. Women education is very important.From the time I took over, I was clear that we must do something about educating women.We saw dropout rates increased after Class III & IV- we realised that this was because of lack of toilet facilities & we tried to change it.If women enter the field of research the results can be phenomenal. Their focussed approach can be very helpful.6:12pm -Next question from Ranchi- education is very important. Why are literacy rates low for women?6:09pm - Modi: Women have been subjected to discrimination which is a very bad thing. Why must we see sons and daughters differently. They should not be discriminated. On issues of women empowerment, there must be no compromise- from birth, education to health6:06pm - A lady from Allahabad asks - you say women are not home makers but nation builders. Please share your vision for women empowerment.6:02pm - Modi: Elections have been announced. If the women of India decide we can shape India's future the way we want. No votebank can stop us from doing that.6:00pm - Narendra Modi starts addrssing women on Chai pe charcha.