govt-slams-congress-as-anti-women-after-quota-bill-defeat

The Centre on Saturday accused the Congress of being “anti-women” after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill on women’s reservation failed to secure passage in the Lok Sabha, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju vowing that efforts to ensure greater representation for women would continue.

 

Addressing a press conference at the end of the Budget session, Rijiju said the ruling alliance was disappointed that the bill could not be passed but did not see it as a failure. He alleged that opposition parties, led by the Congress, had “foiled” the move and were “celebrating” the outcome.

 

“It has been established that Congress is anti-women… The opposition considers it a victory after depriving women of their rights. But the women of the country will teach them a good lesson,” he said.

 

The minister asserted that the government had made every effort to secure the bill’s passage but could not compel the opposition to support it. “We can't force the opposition physically to vote in favour of a bill. The votes were cast democratically,” he added.

Also read: Women’s Reservation Bill fails to clear Lok Sabha floor test

The proposed amendment sought to increase Lok Sabha strength from 543 to as many as 816 seats to facilitate 33 per cent reservation for women ahead of the 2029 general elections, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. It also envisaged a corresponding increase in seats in state assemblies and Union Territory legislatures.

 

The bill, however, fell short of the required two-thirds majority for constitutional amendments. Of the 528 members who voted, 298 supported the measure while 230 opposed it, against the required 352 votes.

 

Rijiju said the government remained committed to women’s empowerment and would continue to pursue measures aimed at enhancing their participation in decision-making.

 

Reviewing the Budget session, he said 12 bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha. Nine bills were passed by the Lower House, while the Upper House cleared or returned nine bills, with one withdrawn in the Lok Sabha.

 

He added that productivity stood at about 93 per cent in the Lok Sabha and 110 per cent in the Rajya Sabha, with 31 sittings held over 81 days across three phases of the session.