The Indian National Congress on Sunday staged a protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation following the defeat of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.
Congress leader Alka Lamba also joined the demonstration, which was held in the capital. The protest comes a day after the Prime Minister addressed the nation on the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures, which failed to clear the Lok Sabha amid opposition resistance to the associated delimitation framework.
Congress leader Ragini Nayak questioned the government’s intent behind linking women’s reservation with delimitation. “Why is the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was passed in 2023, hanging on the crutches of delimitation and census? Why is it being postponed till 2034?” she asked, alleging that the Prime Minister’s address was part of a “conspiracy against Congress”.
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of misleading women on the issue. “The way the BJP has tried to fool women reveals their anti-women intentions,” he said, alleging that delimitation was being used as a precondition to delay implementation of reservation.
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Another Congress MP Jebi Mather said the government was attempting to build a false narrative on women’s empowerment. “Women of India have been cheated… this government is not serious about women's reservation,” she said.
The protest follows a three-day special session in which the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill and a related Union Territories legislation were taken up together. The women’s reservation bill was defeated after a division vote, with 298 members supporting it and 230 opposing it.
Opposition parties, including members of the INDIA bloc, had objected to the linkage between women’s reservation and delimitation. Leaders including Akhilesh Yadav, Asaduddin Owaisi and KC Venugopal participated in the parliamentary debate.
The government had proposed that the women’s quota would be implemented along with an increase in Lok Sabha strength from 543 to 816 seats, based on the 2011 Census, with proportional representation for states.
Following the defeat of the constitutional amendment, the government indicated it would not proceed with the related bills.
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