BJP's Girish Mahajan and PM Modi slammed the Opposition for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam amendment failing in the Lok Sabha. Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel hit back, questioning the government's intentions and the delayed census.
BJP slams Opposition
Maharashtra Minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan strongly criticised the Opposition after the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam fell in the Lok Sabha. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Girish Mahajan called the Congress-led Opposition's decision to oppose the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill "wrong", saying that they will have to "pay the price" in the coming days.
"Congress and Rahul Gandhi have made a very wrong decision. PM Modi took the initiative to provide justice to our sisters, who constitute 50 per cent of the population. The people of this country will not spare them (the opposition). I don't understand whether Congress has lost its mind or something else. They will have to pay the price for this in the coming days," Mahajan said.
Deputy Speaker of the Assam Assembly and BJP leader, Numal Momin, backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in criticising the Opposition, saying that opposing the Bill reflected the true colours of the Congress. Momin said, "PM Modi addressed the nation, and he had rightly mentioned how the bill failed in the parliament to pass, rejected by the opposition, mainly Congress, as well as its allies. This reflects the true colour of the Congress party as well as the entire opposition in our country. Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, when he visits abroad, always try to malign the image of our country. They have the intention to disrupt the development of this country."
Congress hits back
However, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel hit back, asking why the Centre did not conduct the census between 2021 and 2026. Reiterating the party's stand, Baghel stated that Congress supports the reservation for women legislators. He said, "The Women's Reservation Bill was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha in 2023. There is no controversy over its implementation. Now, when elections were being held in many states, they called a special session of Parliament and linked women's reservation to delimitation... The question is, why didn't you conduct a census from 2021 to 2026? Congress has said that it supports the 2023 proposal, but what are your intentions?"
PM Modi criticises 'sin committed by opposition'
This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Opposition for blocking the Women's Reservation Bill, saying that they "crushed" their dreams despite the government's sincere efforts. PM Modi pointed out that the defeat of this bill is a direct blow to the self-respect of women, an insult that the female electorate will permanently engrave in their memories.
"Women may forget everything else, but they never forget an insult to their pride," PM Modi said in his address to the nation on Saturday. PM Modi said "the sin committed by the opposition" will bring them punishment from the people.
Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill on Friday. 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. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)