UK’s Indian-origin cabinet minister, Priti Patel, is at the center of a row, since she compared the UK leaving the 28-nation European Union bloc or "Brexit" campaign with the women’s  fight for the "right to vote".

Priti Patel (43) is the minister of state for employment in UK. She compared the "Leave" European Union (EU) campaign with the struggle for the right of women to vote by the suffragettes in late 19th-century England.

She said while speaking at the launch of pro-EU exit group "Women for Britain" on Tuesday, that, "in many ways, Women for Britain are fighting for exactly the same cause. The suffragettes fought for our democratic freedom. Now, we are the ones who must fight to protect it.”

"Pankhurst and the suffragettes did not fight to have the right to vote on who governs them only to then see those decisions squandered to the EU's undemocratic institutions and political elite."

But Helen Pankhurst, who is the  great-granddaughter of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, hit back and said that, the comparison was "unacceptable".

Guardian reported that, "my great-grandmother fought tirelessly for women's rights and dedicated her life to making sure women could live their lives free from discrimination. It is unacceptable to use her achievements to argue for something that is so out of line with the spirit of international solidarity that defined the suffragette movement, she said.

"To the contrary, I believe that my great-grandmother would have been the first to champion what the EU has meant for women, including equal pay and anti-discrimination laws," she added.

On the other side, Nicky Morgan, UK education secretary, said that, "a vote to leave would put all of this at risk, which is why I am proud to play my part in this video to help demonstrate to women across the UK how each one of us benefits from our seat at the top table."

Nandini