The Congress on Saturday sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his address to the nation on the defeat of the women’s reservation bill in the Lok Sabha, calling his remarks “partisan” and “misleading.” In a strongly worded response, Jairam Ramesh, Congress' Secretary in-charge Communications, said a prime minister’s national address should be non-partisan and aimed at building confidence, but alleged that Modi’s speech was “a Distress Address rather than a National Address.” It also accused him of avoiding media scrutiny and said the speech would have been more appropriate as a press conference.
The Congress attacked the government over its handling of the proposed legislation and the delay in notifying the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023. “What he should have apologized for is his shameless, deceitful attempts to push through a devious delimitation proposal in the name of women. His niyat is anything but saaf. It is poisonous,” the party said. It questioned why the law, passed in September 2023, was notified only on April 16, 2026.
The opposition party also rejected Modi’s allegations that it had obstructed women’s empowerment and countered his claims on past reforms. It said initiatives such as Aadhaar, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and financial inclusion had roots in earlier Congress governments. The party further accused the prime minister of distorting facts and said his remarks on opposition parties were politically motivated.
In his address, Modi had accused opposition parties of blocking the bill and undermining women’s aspirations. "I seek forgiveness from all women of the country," he said. He added, "Today, every citizen of India is witnessing how the march of India's women has been halted. The dreams of the country's women have been mercilessly crushed, and despite our utmost efforts, we could not succeed."
He also targeted opposition parties, saying, "The opposition has committed a sin by opposing women's reservation, and they will surely be punished for this. Opposition parties have insulted our Constitution by defeating the bill."
"The self-serving politics of parties like the Congress, the DMK, the TMC, and the Samajwadi Party has come at the expense of the nation’s women, and that they had foiled efforts to grant 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures," PM Modi said.
The Congress, however, challenged the government to immediately bring a fresh bill to implement women’s reservation within the existing structure of Parliament, asserting that there was no need to delay the measure further.
"The Prime Minister ended his speech with saying that there was a ‘waqt ka intezaar’ for women’s reservation. There is no need for a muhurat to give India’s women their due. The Indian National Congress challenges the Prime Minister to move a bill in the Parliament tomorrow to implement women’s reservation within the existing set up of the Lok Sabha," Ramesh wrote in the post on X.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to implement women's reservation in legislatures was defeated in the Lok Sabha. Under the Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased up to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. Seats were also to be increased in state and UT assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
A two-thirds majority was required for the passage of the crucial bill but the ruling BJP-led alliance could not muster the numbers. During polling on the bill in the Lok Sabha on Friday night, 298 members voted in its support, while 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
