New Delhi, Apr 17 (PTI) Opposition parties on Friday said they unitedly defeated the Modi government’s attempt to change India’s political and electoral structure in the garb of women reservation bill.
They said the failure of the Constitution amendment bill to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha was a clear political setback for the Modi government.
The Congress termed the bill a “nefarious attempt” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to link their “dangerous delimitation proposals” to women’s reservation.
Congress president Malikarjun Kharge on X said, “Modi-Shah tried to carry out delimitation by using half of the country’s population as a shield and made a nefarious attempt to harm this country’s democracy, Constitution and federalism.” He added, “Their cunning ploy was sniffed out by a united opposition — INDIA — and the Constitution amendment bill was defeated. We express heartfelt thanks to all the leaders of the opposition parties.” The CPI said the defeat showed that there is strong opposition to any attempt to change the balance of representation in the country under questionable grounds.
The reactions came soon after the Constitution amendment bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029, and an increase in the number of seats of the Lok Sabha was defeated in the Lower House.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it.
Of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the government’s bill was an attack on the Constitution.
“As I have said, it was an attack on the Constitution, and we defeated that,” he said outside Parliament.
“We clearly said that this was not a women’s bill, but an attempt to change India’s electoral structure,” he added.
Gandhi said if Modi wants the women’s bill to be implemented, he should bring the 2023 law and implement it from today.
Later, in a post on X in Hindi, he said, “The amendment bill has fallen. They used an unconstitutional trick in the name of women to break the Constitution.” Gandhi exulted, “India has seen it. INDIA has stopped it. Hail the Constitution.” Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said his party supports women’s reservation, and his party did not oppose the quota, but stopped those who wanted to snatch the rights of women.
“We are in support of reservation for women, but we drew a Lakshman Rekha that they could not cross,” he said.
CPI leader P Sandosh Kumar said, “Women across the country must see through the BJP’s approach. By linking women’s reservation to the census and delimitation, the government tried to delay its actual implementation.” He termed the bill an agenda to weaken the federal structure.
“This defeat is similar to what we saw during the farmers’ movement, when people’s unity forced the government to repeal the farm laws,” he said, terming the defeat a “clear political setback” for the government.
On X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “The nefarious and mischievous attempt of the PM and HM to link their dangerous delimitation proposals to women’s reservation (that had already been settled) has been decisively defeated in the Lok Sabha… This is a win for our democracy, our federalism, and the Constitution.” The defeat calls into question also the legitimacy of the “non-biological, non-grihasthi PM,” Ramesh said.
He said the Modi government should now implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the existing set-up of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the manner in which the government sought to link the bill to delimitation can never be accepted.
“The way the Modi government presented women’s reservation made its passage impossible. The BJP government linked women’s reservation to delimitation and the old census, in which the OBC category was not included.
“We can never agree to this. What happened today is a huge victory for the country’s democracy and its integrity,” she told reporters.
Asked about the anti-women charge hurled at the Congress, she said, those who did nothing in Hathras, Unnao, or in Manipur, and those who did nothing for women wrestlers, are now talking about an anti-women mentality.
Samajwadi Party’s Iqra Hasan demanded that the Centre should bring the Women’s Reservation Bill without tweaks or “get ready to be labelled as ‘anti-women’.” Party MP Dimple Yadav said the ruling party is so attached to power that it is unwilling to let go of its positions, especially as its public support is declining and it knows this government may not last.
“They are trying to shield themselves by invoking the issue of women. We can clearly see the kind of attempts being made. But today, women in the country are troubled by inflation, and by concerns related to education and security,” she said.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien hailed the bill’s defeat as a “beginning of the end for Narendra and Amit.” TMC MP June Maliah said the opposition suggested increasing reservations to even 50 per cent, but opposed linking it with delimitation.
“We were saying you pass it. And why 33 per cent, make it 50 per cent, but why bring delimitation and everything else with it? That’s what we are opposing,” she said.
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to “operationalise” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in states and Union Territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women. PTI ASK/SKC AO VN VN
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