Oppn Seeks Early Implementation Of 2023 Law

New Delhi: As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) goes all out to project the Opposition as “anti-women,” the INDIA bloc is preparing to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding immediate implementation of the earlier version of the women’s reservation law. The move comes a day after the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed to pass in the Lok Sabha.While the BJP is expected to launch a door-to-door campaign to reinforce its “anti-women” charge, Opposition parties are planning coordinated press conferences across the country to “expose” what they allege is the government’s gameplan to “change the electoral map of India” under the cover of Women Reservation Bill. The Congress and its allies asserted that the quota law, passed in 2023, should be implemented immediately and accused the government of playing politics in the name of women. The previous bill passed by Parliament was One Hundred and Sixth Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, already provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The now defeated amendment in Constitution was brought to increase the seats in Lok Sabha by doing delimitation of constituencies without waiting for ongoing Census results. “Not just the Congress Party, but every party of the INDIA alliance will say it very-very clearly — bring that 2023 legislation, which was passed, make whatever change you want to get it done by 2029, we will fully support it. If there are Women’s Reservations, just like there will be one-third reservations in the ST and the SC, there has to be OBC reservation, which is commensurate to the number,” said Congress leader and MP in Lok Sabha Mrs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday. She asserted that the government is trying to divert the attention of the public from real issues like inflation, rising crime, unemployment etc through such gimmicks. Speaking during a rally in Tamil Nadu, Leader of Opposition Mr Rahul Gandhi said “Delimitation was a clear attempt by the BJP to reduce the representation of Tamil Nadu, the Southern states, and the Northeast in Parliament. We stopped it in Parliament and defeated this attack on the idea of India. INDIA Alliance will always protect Tamil identity — and India’s unity, diversity, and every voice that makes it strong.” The BJP termed Friday’s development a “Black Day” and accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of betraying women. The party led by its women MPs and Delhi’s woman chief minister staged a protest outside Leader of Opposition Mr Rahul Gandhi’s residence. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress and the Opposition will have to face the anger of women across the country and accused them of permanently “damaging their credibility”. “It has been established that the Congress is anti-women… It will have to face the wrath of the women of the country. The Opposition is celebrating after depriving women of their rights; women of the country will teach them a good lesson,” said Mr Rijiju as he accused the Congress of having an anti-women mentality which stands “exposed” now. Responding sharply, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the Centre of conspiring to change the federal structure of the country in the garb of women’s reservation, asserting that the defeat of its bill in the Lok Sabha to amend the women’s quota law was a victory for the Constitution, democracy and Opposition unity. She alleged that the men in NDA are trying to reserve their own seats so that out of current 543 their seats do not go to women. “After all, we are living in a patriarchy,” she said. She added that the government cannot be trusted with delimitation process. “When Home Minister Amit Shah was speaking in the Lok Sabha on Friday, he said the Congress will not be able to sit on the treasury benches for years, which shows their mindset. The whole conspiracy was to stay in power. They thought that if delimitation is not done now, it would not be done before 2029 to stay in power. It has been completely designed in a way that they should win… We have seen in Assam and in Jammu & Kashmir,” Priyanka Gandhi added while addressing the media. “They thought that if the bill passes, it is fine. If it fails, we will project the opposition as anti-women and become the messiah of women. It is not easy to become the messiah of women. We saw what happened to women in Hathras, what happened to our Olympic medallists, and others,” Priyanka said. Hailing the Opposition victory, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the BJP’s “downfall” has begun. “They (BJP leaders) wanted delimitation because they wanted to divide the country. We do not need to bring a Bill to give representation to women,” Banerjee said. Claiming that her party had ensured greater representation of women, she said women constituted 36 per cent of the Trinamool Congress’ members in the Lok Sabha and 46 per cent in the Rajya Sabha.



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