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NEW DELHI: Minutes after the women’s reservation bill failed to clear the Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the Centre, accusing the PM Modi-led government of using an “unconstitutional trick” to “break the Constitution in the name of women.”In a post on X after the bill’s defeat, Rahul Gandhi highlighted Opposition unity, saying, “The amendment bill has fallen. They used an unconstitutional trick to break the Constitution in the name of women. India has seen it. INDIA has stopped it.”Rahul further said, “I want to tell PM that if he wants women’s reservation, he should bring 2023 law and entire opposition will support it.”“We clearly said that this is not a women’s bill but an attempt to change India’s electoral structure,” he added further.The Congress also accused the government of linking delimitation with women’s reservation, calling it a “nefarious, mischievous attempt” that was “decisively defeated in LS.”The grand old party reiterated its support for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, urging the government to ensure 33% reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Another strong voice of opposition came from Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav during the debate. After the bill’s failure, he said, “We never opposed the Women’s Reservation Bill; we were against those who sought to usurp women’s rights.”In Tamil Nadu, chief minister MK Stalin welcomed the outcome, declaring, “Tamil Nadu defeats Delhi.”Meanwhile, Amit Shah hit back at opposition’s “celebration” over Bill’s defeat, saying, “How can anyone celebrate victory after deceiving half the nation’s population, 700 million women, and losing their trust?”He added, “This celebration by the opposition is an insult to every woman who has been waiting decades for her rights. How many times will the Congress and its allies betray women? Many a time, the joy of apparent victory born from arrogance is, in reality, a hidden great defeat, which some people fail to understand.”Following the failed floor test, the Centre also moved to withdraw two more proposed bills, including one on delimitation and another related measure, signalling a broader setback for the government’s legislative push.Despite strong backing from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the bill fell short of the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, with the NDA unable to gather enough support.The special session of Parliament witnessed intense debates and sharp exchanges between the ruling NDA and the INDIA bloc, marking a politically charged showdown over the bill.
