Bihar CM Slams INDIA Bloc Over Defeat of Women's Reservation Bill

Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary slammed the INDIA Bloc for the defeat of the Women's Reservation Bill, asking when poor women would get a chance to become MPs. He accused them of hypocrisy and highlighted Bihar's successful 50% reservation in local bodies.

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Sunday lambasted the Congress-led INDIA Bloc over the defeat of the Women's Reservation Bill, questioning their commitment to empowering women from marginalised sections. He said the opposition must answer why political opportunities remain limited to a few families while ordinary women continue to be excluded.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP office here, Choudhary said, "The Congress party must explain: while members of your own families are becoming MPs, when will the poor women of this country get their chance to become parliamentarians?" He alleged that opposition parties were celebrating the Bill's failure, which he termed an "insult" to the idea of 'Nari Shakti'.

Bihar Leads in Women's Empowerment

Highlighting Bihar's record, the Chief Minister said the state has already taken significant steps toward women's empowerment. "There are only 29 female MLAs in the Bihar Legislative Assembly. If this bill had been passed, there would have been at least 122 MLAs," he said.

He further added that since 2006, when the NDA government introduced 50 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj and municipal bodies, participation has exceeded expectations. "Today, Bihar has 50 per cent reservation, but more than 59 per cent of women are winning elections," Choudhary said, underlining the impact of grassroots reservation policies.

A Missed Opportunity for Structural Reform

He also pointed out that the proposed legislation would have significantly increased women's representation in Parliament. "PM Narendra Modi's government had assured that the number of MPs would increase from 543 to 816. If this bill had been passed, out of 816 MPs, 272 would have been women," he said, calling it a missed opportunity for structural reform.

Opposition Accused of Hypocrisy and Duplicity

Choudhary accused opposition leaders of hypocrisy, alleging they support women's political participation selectively. "They are content if a daughter from their own household becomes an MP, but cannot tolerate a daughter from someone else's home attaining that status," he said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Rajya Sabha MP Darshana Singh said the opposition's stance had disappointed women across the country. She stated that the special parliamentary session, which could have been historic, instead exposed "duplicity" and obstructionist politics.

Background of the Bill's Defeat

This comes after the defeat of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, where it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, with 298 votes in favour and 230 against. The proposed law sought to introduce 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi criticised the opposition for blocking the Bill, calling it a "blow to women's self-respect" and warning that voters would hold them accountable. (ANI)

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