BJP MP Kangana Ranaut slammed the Opposition over the defeat of the Women's Reservation Bill, calling it a 'personal loss'. Other BJP MPs accused the INDIA bloc of betraying women, while the Opposition demanded its immediate implementation.
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Friday expressed stern criticism towards the Opposition after the defeat of the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill, calling it the most painful incident in the House. Speaking with ANI, Ranaut recognised the defeat as a "personal loss" and expressed faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the security of women's rights.
"Nothing more painful than this has ever happened in the House before. They have shattered the morale of the women. It feels like a personal loss to me. We have faith in PM Modi, and we will ensure that the women get their rights," she said.
BJP Accuses Opposition of Betrayal
BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat dismissed the opposition's demand for a caste census, stating that the census and delimitation would take time in the country.
"Today, an amendment bill was brought to implement the Women's Reservation Bill in 2029... The Nari Shakti Vandan Act was passed in 2023, but it had a condition that first there would be a census and then delimitation, only after that would it be implemented. The opposition raised the demand for a caste census. In such a big country, caste census and delimitation would take time, hence the government introduced an amendment bill, but Congress and the opposition voted against this bill... This is a betrayal of the sisters of the country," she said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje condemned the INDIA bloc for allegedly insulting women in the country and vowed to protest against the opposition alliance.
"INDI alliance have insulted the women in the country... We are protesting against this. We will block the INDI alliance everywhere and protest on the streets...," she said.
Union MoS Raksha Khadse said that the country will not forgive the Opposition parties for opposing the Constitutional Amendment Bill for the Women's Reservation.
"Today Congress and all opposition parties have opposed this bill, the people of India and the women of the country will not forgive them. Today, a historic decision was going to be taken through which 33% women would have got their rights... but the opposition opposed it, and the people of the country will not forgive them," she said.
Additionally, BJP MP Poonamben Maadam seconded Khadse's thoughts and called the INDIA bloc's opposition to the Bill, "a huge injustice and betrayed the women of the nation."
"It had been decided in 2023, that till the 2029 General Elections, the women's reservation Bill will be implemented across the nation. When the government came with this Bill, INDI alliance, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, completely opposed this and stopped the Bill from passing. The nation's women will not forgive Rahul Gandhi and INDI alliance... They did a huge injustice and betrayed the women of the nation...," she added.
BJP MP Hema Malini also expressed disappointment with the defeat of the Bill in the Lok Sabha and said, "It was very sad that such an important bill could not be passed."
Earlier, women MPs of the NDA held a separate protest in the Parliament premises over the defeat of the Constitutional Bill, holding placards and chanting slogans of "sharam karo" against the Opposition.
Bill's Defeat and Opposition's Stand
However, Opposition parties expressed their full support for women's reservation but strongly objected to the Delimitation Bill and said the government should implement women's reservation immediately in the existing strength of the Lok Sabha.
This comes as the Constitution Amendment Bill for the implementation of Women's Reservation from the 2029 general elections was defeated in the Lok Sabha, earlier, with the opposition parties voting against it.
In the division that took place following the debate on the three bills, 298 members supported the bill while 230 voted against it. Despite the bill's defeat, the 2023 Women's Reservation Act remains on the books, though its implementation continues to be tied to the future census.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
