“Screw it”, says Janja about criticism for going to the G20 alongside Lula

This Saturday (9), when speaking about the participation of women in politics in a panel within the PT Electoral Conference program for 2024, in Brasília, the first lady, Rosângela Lula da Silva, known as Janja, responded to criticism for having traveled for the G20 meeting alongside President Lula.

“I was at a meeting at the G20 and everyone was saying: ‘What is she doing there with the president? She wasn’t even elected’. Screw it, I’ll always be there. Nobody gave me this place. I conquered it,” said Janja.

The first lady also criticized US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for statements at the G20 about female participation in politics.

“When the Prime Minister of India said that the world needed to give women space… Biden said: ‘That’s right’. You don’t need to give us anything. We know very well how to fight our fight and we will continue to do so”, said Janja.

The trip to participate in the G20 summit took place in September 2023. At the time, Janja generated controversy when he played during disembarkation in India, while dozens of people were killed in the tragedy caused by floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

In his defense, Janja said that his “smile” and “joy” did not mean “a lack of empathy and solidarity for others”.

“Debating the participation of women in politics is crucial for the future of the country. We are the majority of the population, the majority of the electorate and we increasingly need to occupy politics. We will continue together, supporting and encouraging each other on this path”, wrote the first lady on the social network X, this Saturday (9), when sharing photos from the PT event.

During the conference, President Lula complained about PT’s internal fights and said that the party “could achieve an extraordinary victory in the municipal elections”.

“This party needs to go back a little to how it was at the beginning to regain the credibility that ease often takes us out of the game”, said the president when recalling stories from the beginning of the PT, when the party still did not have financial support from part of the business.