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The Congress party termed the failure of the Constitutional Amendment Bill—which sought to link women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha to the delimitation exercise—as a defeat for the Modi government’s “unconstitutional ploy” and a victory for democracy and the Constitution.
Posting on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attempted to use half of the country’s population as a shield to push through the delimitation process, thereby making a nefarious attempt to undermine India’s democracy, Constitution, and federalism.
The united Opposition—the ‘INDIA’ bloc—saw through this government stratagem, and the Constitutional Amendment Bill subsequently failed.
He added that the Congress party expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the leaders of all opposition parties.
He further remarked that Modi and Shah had set out to dismantle India’s democracy merely to burnish their own political image; this conspiracy of theirs has now met with a humiliating failure.
The Congress party once again demands that the Modi government implement the 33 percent reservation for women—as mandated by the “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam” passed in 2023—starting from the 2029 general elections itself.
The Congress party has been advocating for this since September 2023. This would serve as the true test of the Prime Minister’s commitment to ‘Nari Shakti’ (women’s empowerment).
Speaking to journalists within the Parliament complex late Friday evening following the failure of the Constitutional Amendment Bill, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, asserted that this was not merely a “Women’s Bill”; rather, it was an attempt to fundamentally alter India’s political and electoral architecture—an assault on the Constitution itself.
He noted that the Opposition successfully thwarted this move.
He challenged the Prime Minister, stating that if he genuinely wishes to introduce a women’s reservation bill, he should immediately implement the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act; the entire Opposition would extend its unconditional, 100 percent support to such a measure.
Later, in a post on ‘X’, Rahul Gandhi expressed his satisfaction over the failure of the amendment bill. He alleged that the Modi government had employed an unconstitutional stratagem—invoking the name of women—with the ulterior motive of dismantling the Constitution. He hailed the Constitution, declaring that “India has witnessed it, and ‘INDIA’ has stopped it.”
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told journalists that, given the manner in which the Modi government had framed and presented the women’s reservation bill, its passage was, in reality, an impossibility. The BJP government sought to link women’s reservation to delimitation and the outdated census—a process that excluded the OBC category. The Congress party can never agree to this. What transpired today marks a monumental victory for the country’s democracy and its integrity. Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, she asked: “Those who did nothing in Hathras, nothing in Unnao, nothing in Manipur, and nothing for the women wrestlers—will *these* people now lecture us on a ‘anti-women mindset’?”
Posting on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Priyanka Gandhi further asserted that reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies is an inherent right of the women of this country—a right that no one can prevent them from securing. One day, this will undoubtedly become a reality. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hollow attempt—driven by mal-intent—to portray himself as the “savior of women” by cynically linking this issue to the 2011 census and the subsequent delimitation exercise, has failed today. Today, the country’s opposition, by demonstrating its resolve and unity, has safeguarded the sanctity and integrity of India’s democracy.
She stated that today will be remembered as a historic day in Indian politics. From this day forward, the attempts to stifle the voice of this nation shall cease.
Expressing her gratitude to all opposition MPs, she remarked that had these three bills been passed, democracy in this country would not have survived. By judiciously exercising its power, the opposition has prioritized the nation above partisan politics and has fulfilled its duty in the national interest.
Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh, the General Secretary in-charge of the Congress Communication Department, posted on ‘X’ stating that the devious and manipulative attempt by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to conflate women’s reservation—a matter on which a decision had already been reached—with their dangerous proposals regarding delimitation has been decisively defeated in the Lok Sabha.
This constitutes a victory for our democratic system, our federal structure, and our Constitution. It also casts a shadow of doubt upon the legitimacy of a “non-biological, non-domestic” Prime Minister.
He asserted that the path ahead for the Modi government is clear: it must implement the 33 percent reservation for women within the existing framework of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections. Ever since the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, was unanimously passed by Parliament in September 2023, it has been a persistent demand of the entire Opposition—which was finally notified late last night.
