Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Opposition for defeating the Constitution Amendment Bill on women’s reservation in Parliament, saying they will have to face the consequences.
The bill, which proposed implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures by 2029 and increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, failed to pass Parliament on Friday, with 230 members voting against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes to secure a two-thirds majority.
At a cabinet meeting on Saturday, Modi said the Opposition would have to face the consequences of the mistake they committed.
“They have let down the women of the country. This message must be conveyed to every single person, in every single village,” sources quoted the Prime Minister as saying, according to NDTV.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced a massive nationwide campaign against the Opposition following the bill’s defeat.
The Congress and its allies, however, asserted that the quota law passed in 2023 should be implemented immediately and accused the government of playing politics with the issue. Opposition leaders also alleged that the government is using the matter for political gain in the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that the Constitution Amendment Bill has nothing to do with women’s reservation and is instead an attempt to alter the country’s electoral map to retain power.
The BJP, meanwhile, termed the development a “black day”, accusing the Congress and other opposition parties of betraying women. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress and the Opposition would face the anger of women across the country and accused them of permanently “damaging their credibility.”
