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BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Sunday launched a sharp attack on opposition parties following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill that sought to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850. He said that people will teach them a lesson for opposing the Bill.
The Constitution Amendment Bill was also meant to advance the implementation of women's reservation legislation. Speaking to ANI, Chugh accused the opposition of obstructing a historic opportunity for women's empowerment, alleging that by blocking the legislation, the opposition had "disclosed their anti-women nature" and shown a complete lack of respect for them. "The opposition did not just fail a Bill in the parliament, they have attacked the dreams and rights of the women of India. They disrespected the women and disclosed their anti-women nature. The general public will teach them a lesson for doing this," he said. This comes amid a high-voltage standoff between the opposition and ruling government, which erupted after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026, which sought to implement 33% reservation for women by the 2029 elections using 2011 census data for delimitation, failed to secure the mandatory two-thirds majority. While the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was originally passed in 2023, its implementation was tied to a future census and delimitation exercise. The opposition parties criticised the new bill as a way to "rejig" the electoral map and have continuously demanded the immediate implementation of the original 2023 Act without being linked to delimitation processes. In response to the bill's failure, senior BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, have slammed the opposition parties, terming them "anti-women". PM Modi on Saturday addressed the nation, accusing the opposition parties, including Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, and Samajwadi Party, of being scared that if women get empowered, the leadership of these dynastic parties will be threatened. Following the address, Congress leaders on Sunday staged a protest against Prime Minister Modi's 30-minute speech, with Ragini Nayak raising a question to the PM, asking about the integrity of the country being attacked by taking advantage of women's reservations and using "delimitation as a weapon". Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda also criticised the BJP, alleging that the party's approach reflected "anti-women intentions" and that women were being misled on the issue. (ANI)
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