BJP protests failed women's reservation bill, to bring censure motion

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta led a BJP MLAs' protest over the failed Women's Reservation Bill. Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused Congress of denying women's rights and said a censure motion would be brought over the issue in the Parliament.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday led a protest march of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs over the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failing in the Parliament.

BJP leaders slam Opposition

Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who was present at the protest, accused the Congress of denying women their rights and said a censure motion would be brought over the issue. Speaking to ANI, Sirsa said, "Congress has snatched away the rights of half of India's women. Regarding the betrayal of women, a Censure Motion will be brought in today. Women's reservation is necessary."

BJP MLA Harish Khurana alleged that the Opposition has "blocked" women's rights by opposing the Women's Reservation Bill, claiming that the initiative backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was intended to secure representation for women. "Opposition ganged up and killed the rights of women (Women's Reservation Bill). Prime Minister Modi's intention was that after increasing to 850 seats, women would be given their rights in 2029, but the opposition has blocked that right. The people of Delhi and the country are not tolerating this. That's why a session has been called today. A censor motion will be presented and then passed," Khurana said.

Further, BJP MLA Shikha Rai accused the Opposition of blocking the Women's Reservation Bill, alleging that it was defeated despite the country being poised to ensure political justice for women, and claimed that the move exposed the Opposition's intent under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. "17th April 2026 was the day when the Opposition wrote a black chapter of this country. When the country was supposed to do political justice to the women of this country, the Bill was defeated by the Opposition over trivial reasons. The oppsition was exposed that day. They never intended to give a reservation to women...This was a political decision under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi," Rai told ANI.

Bill's defeat in Lok Sabha

This comes after opposition parties in the Lok Sabha voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill. The Lok Sabha took up the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill together for passing.

In the division that took place on the Constitution Amendment Bill following the debate on the three bills, 298 members voted in favour and 230 against. With the Constitution Amendment Bill defeated, the government later said it did not want to pursue the two other linked bills.

The bills aimed to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816, with 33 per cent reservation for women. The delimitation was to be carried out based on the 2011 census. The government said there will be a proportionate increase in seats for all states. Opposition parties said that they are strongly in favour of women's reservation but were against the Delimitation Bill. They called upon the government to implement the women's reservation in the existing strength of the Lok Sabha.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)