Chandigarh, Apr 25 (PTI) The Punjab BJP Mahila Morcha on Saturday held a protest to condemn the alleged anti-women stance taken by opposition parties, which led to the defeat of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The protest follows the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 — seeking to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies — on April 17. The Bill sought to increase the strength of the Lower House to 816 (from 543 at present) following a delimitation exercise to operationalise the reservation before the 2029 parliamentary elections. The members of BJP Mahila Morcha tried to march towards the residence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, demanding an explanation from the Aam Aadmi Party for opposing the passage of amendment.
The Chandigarh Police briefly detained several leaders — including senior BJP leader Preneet Kaur, state president of BJP Mahila Morcha Jai Inder Kaur, and Mohinder Kaur Josh and Mona Jaiswal, both vice presidents of the state unit.
Raising slogans of “Nari Shakti Zindabad”, the women vowed to continue their fight for equal rights and demanded the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Addressing a gathering earlier, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma said party has consistently stood for women’s empowerment under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
“While political parties often disagree on various issues, it is surprising that Congress and AAP have come together in opposing reservation for women,” Sharma said.
He added that this reflects sheer political opportunism, with both parties indulging in vote-bank politics and resisting structural reforms that could alter their internal power dynamics.
Jai Inder Kaur termed the blocking of the Women’s Reservation Bill an incident marking “black day” for democracy.
“Congress and AAP have consistently treated women merely as a vote bank and have failed them when it comes to ensuring rightful representation. The INDI alliance appears threatened by the growing political empowerment of women. Women across India will respond strongly to this insult,” she said.
Preneet Kaur said that instead of earning goodwill by promoting women’s interests, the opposition has played a negative role in obstructing the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
She urged all political parties to rise above personal interests and work towards the upliftment of half the country’s population.
Other BJP leaders, who addressed the gathering, said opposition to the Bill is a direct affront to women’s dignity and aspirations. PTI SUN PRK
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