Thane, Apr 22 (PTI) Congress Working Committee member and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan has accused the Centre of misleading people over the women’s reservation bill, asserting that his party will launch nationwide protests to “expose” the government.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he said the BJP-led Centre is also attempting to portray the Congress as anti-women.
Khan said the women’s reservation bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in 2023 with the support of the Congress, but the BJP created confusion by linking it with a Constitution amendment process.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from the 2029 parliamentary polls, failed to pass in the Lower House of Parliament on April 17.
“The BJP did not genuinely intend to grant women’s reservation and instead attempted to push a constitutional amendment for its own political objectives. The Congress opposed such moves to safeguard democratic principles,” Khan said.
He alleged that the ruling dispensation was attempting to “weaken democratic institutions through backdoor mechanisms” and had launched a “false campaign” claiming that women’s reservation was being opposed.
The Congress leader said the women’s reservation bill had already been approved in 2023, and the law should be implemented without delay to enable equal opportunities for women in the 2029 elections.
The Opposition has claimed that the women’s quota bill was a “precursor” to the BJP’s larger delimitation plan, and the ruling party was attempting to push it under the garb of the legislation.
Khan also stressed the need to complete the delimitation process in a transparent manner, claiming that the Centre intended to manipulate constituencies through constitutional changes.
“The Congress and other parties opposed such attempts as they posed a threat to democracy,” he said.
Targeting the BJP over women’s safety, Khan questioned whether the party had taken adequate steps to curb atrocities against women or ensured sufficient representation of women in key positions at the Centre and in states.
“The BJP’s stand is contradictory. While it speaks about women’s empowerment, it has failed to address crimes against women effectively. The Congress will hold nationwide protests to expose the Modi government’s repeated false stance on women’s quota and constitutional issues, he added. PTI COR NR
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