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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday criticised opposition parties over their stand on the women’s reservation legislation, comparing their resistance to the “arrogance of Ravan” during a special Assembly session on “Nari Samman — Rights in Democracy.”

 

Addressing the House, Dhami said his government remained committed to women’s empowerment and accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of obstructing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. He alleged that opposition leaders misled people by raising concerns over census and delimitation processes linked to implementation of the quota.

 

“The same arrogance that led to the downfall of Lankapati Ravan was visible in the opposition’s conduct in Parliament,” he said, urging constructive discussion on women’s rights.

 

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition parties have been at odds over the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposed 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies and an increase in Lok Sabha seats. The bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on April 17.

 

Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya questioned the feasibility of implementing the reservation within the proposed timeline, stating that it remains legally tied to completion of the Census and delimitation exercise.

 

Arya said the last Census was conducted in 2011 and updated data may take several years, suggesting implementation could be delayed till 2033 or 2034. He accused the BJP of using the proposal for political positioning and alleged that delimitation could adversely affect opposition representation.

 

The Congress demanded that women’s reservation be implemented immediately on existing seats instead of waiting for fresh delimitation. The debate triggered sharp exchanges in the Assembly after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Subodh Uniyal objected to opposition remarks, leading to heated arguments between treasury and opposition benches.

 

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