New Delhi: Congress MP and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of “conspiring to change the federal structure”, while describing the delimitation vote in the Lok Sabha as a big win for democracy and the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference Saturday, she said, “What happened yesterday was a big win for democracy. The conspiracy to change the federal structure was defeated. It was a victory for the Constitution, Opposition unity, and the country.”
In a setback to the government, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, was defeated in the Lok Sabha Friday. The bill tied the 33 percent reservation for women to the post-delimitation increase in the House’s strength from 543 to 816 seats. It received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short of the required two-thirds majority.
Regarding women’s representation in Parliament, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded that the government implement the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, based on the current strength of the Lok Sabha.
“If you are serious about women’s reservation, implement the 2023 law on the existing strength of the Lok Sabha, we will fully support it,” she said.
The Congress MP claimed that calling an urgent session for the bill was the BJP’s bid to stay in power.
“The whole conspiracy was to stay in power. They thought that if delimitation wasn’t done now, it would not be done before 2029 to stay in power. This was not really about women’s reservation, that is clear. The 2023 bill clearly provided reservations for women within existing seats,” she said.
At the same time, she suggested the government was under “significant pressure”, indicating that the party’s political standing is declining.
“The government’s situation has clearly changed. It appears to be under significant international pressure, reflected in decisions no Indian Prime Minister would ordinarily accept without such pressure,” she said.
Regarding the bill’s intentions, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra suggested the government aimed to win either way: if the bill passed, it would benefit them; if it failed, they would blame the Opposition by creating a narrative that painted a different picture.
“It is not easy to become the messiah of women. We saw what happened in Hathras and with our Olympic medallists. They can create as much drama as they want, but people now see that they (the BJP) do not stand by their words. They cannot be trusted,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.
Oppn unity
During the press address, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also accused the BJP of revealing its mindset through Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that the Congress would not return to the treasury benches for years.
“When Home Minister Amit Shah was speaking in the Lok Sabha Friday, he said the Congress will not be able to sit on the treasury benches for years, which shows their mindset.”
On the other hand, the Congress MP credited “Opposition unity” for marking a turning point and defeating the bill.
She said, “I am very happy; you have seen what happens when the Opposition unites. We will fight harder and together, we are putting aside our differences.”
The ruling BJP has alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties “betrayed the women of the nation by voting against the bill”.
Home Minister Amit Shah questioned the Opposition’s commitment to women’s reservations, accusing them of backing the bill with conditions instead of offering support.
Further, he has defended delimitation as necessary to ensure fair representation, invoking the principle of “one person, one vote, one value”, suggesting that the Opposition was politicising the issue.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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