Bhubaneswar, Apr 17 (PTI) Opposition BJD in Odisha on Friday evening said “truth has prevailed”, after the Constitution amendment bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated. While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
BJD president Naveen Patnaik had earlier demanded delinking of the the Women’s Reservation Bill from the Delimitation Bill.
“Satyameva Jayate! Truth Prevails! It was not the Women’s Reservation Bill but the contentious Delimitation Bill (131st Constitutional Amendment) that was defeated in Parliament today.
“This marks a crucial victory for states like Odisha, which were at risk of being deprived of their rightful share. Our leader, Shri Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha), took a firm and proactive stand on this issue,” BJD’s parliamentary party leader Manas Ranjan Mangaraj said in a post on X.
Mangaraj said Patnaik had also written to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and all MPs from the state, urging them to unite and safeguard Odisha’s interests.
“Unfortunately, the 20 BJP MPs from Odisha failed to rise to the occasion. They chose to align with party directives rather than stand up for the state’s rights,” Mangaraj said.
“Despite limited representation in Parliament, we take pride in our leader’s steadfast commitment to fighting for Odisha and its people,” he asserted.
BJD MLA and former minister Arun Kumar Sahoo said the BJP’s “design to take pride over women reservation has failed”.
“It should be noted that it was Odisha’s former chief minister Biju Patnaik, who was first in the country to reserve 33 per cent of seats for women in panchayatai raj institutions. BJP leaders from top to bottom tried their best to take credit, but failed,” he said.
BJP MP from Kendrapara, Baijayant Panda, however, said history will “not be kind to those who stood in the way of women’s empowerment”.
“It has consistently shown that those who oppose this face dire consequences. The INDI Alliance, in its relentless obsession with opposing Prime Minister @narendramodi, has once again opposed the idea of a women empowered India. The #NariShaktiVandan Adhiniyam was a historic reform, aimed at ensuring rightful representation for women in our democratic institutions,” he said in a social media post.
“This is not a favour or a token gesture. It is a long-overdue right. It is justice. By opposing this landmark legislation, the INDI Alliance has chosen to stand against the aspirations of millions of women across the country. Their resistance is not just political, it is regressive,” Panda added. PTI AAM RBT
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