Jaipur, Apr 19 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the opposition, particularly the Congress, accusing it of blocking the proposed Constitution Amendment Bill, 2026, aimed at providing 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and state assemblies.
“The Congress and its allies have once again exposed their anti-women mindset. They had a historic opportunity to support women’s empowerment, but they chose narrow political interests instead,” Sharma said at a press conference at the party office here.
The chief minister alleged that opposition parties only pretend to support women’s rights. “They talk about respecting women, but when it comes to giving them rights, they try to push the issue aside. For them, women’s empowerment is just an election slogan,” he said.
He said the Centre had brought the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2026, along with the Delimitation Bill and amendments related to Union Territories, to ensure greater representation for women in legislative bodies.
“If this bill had been passed, our mothers and sisters would have received 33 per cent reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from the 2029 general elections,” he said.
Targeting the Congress, Sharma said that even after 70 years of Independence, the party that ruled the country for the longest time never seriously thought about giving women their due rights.
He noted that the legislation could have become a landmark step for empowering women.”Due to the negative attitude of the opposition, it could not be passed. What happened in Lok Sabha has hurt not just democracy, but also the aspirations of half of the country’s population,” he said.
The chief minister stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to all parties to rise above politics. “The prime minister urged all members to support the bill beyond party lines. The government addressed every concern raised by the opposition, but they still refused to cooperate,” he said.
Accusing the opposition of spreading misinformation, Sharma asserted that the opposition created confusion regarding delimitation, especially about southern states, whereas the process would have ensured fair representation for all.
He also termed the Congress and its allies as “family-driven parties”, saying, “Such parties cannot think beyond their own families and hesitate to bring women forward in real terms.” Sharma stated that April 17 could have been a historic day. “It could have been written as a golden chapter in parliamentary history, but the opposition turned it into a black day with its selfish politics,” he said. PTI SDA MPL MPL
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