MP: Uproar in Assembly as special session on Women’s Reservation witnesses face-off​

Bhopal, April 27 A one-day special session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ witnessed sharp exchanges, procedural disputes, and a walkout by the Opposition Congress on Monday, as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Opposition locked horns over the timing and implementation of women’s reservation.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, while moving the government resolution, said the state had taken a pioneering step by convening a dedicated session on women’s empowerment.

He said that a meaningful discussion on such a significant subject is underway, with both sides presenting their views, but it is important to remain focused on the core issue.

Highlighting the historical context of women’s empowerment, Yadav said social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Jyotiba Phule had led movements for women’s rights, adding that PM Modi had taken a “decisive step” by bringing women’s reservation.

He said that it is essential to keep the discussion aligned with the present objective and not allow it to drift.

However, the session soon turned turbulent as Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar raised a point of order, demanding an immediate discussion and the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, passed by Parliament in 2023.

Congress members insisted that their private bill seeking 33 per cent reservation for women be taken up first.

Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar ruled that the government resolution would take precedence, prompting heated exchanges between the treasury and the Opposition benches.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and senior Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Sitasharan Sharma argued that established rules prioritise government business over private members’ bills.

Despite protests, the Speaker proceeded with the government resolution, prompting Congress legislators to stage a walkout and raise slogans in the Assembly premises.

Earlier in the debate, Minister Sampatiya Uike highlighted various government initiatives aimed at empowering women, stating that daughters will no longer be held back and are ready to script a new chapter in history.

She pointed to schemes such as Lakhpati Didi, Drone Didi, Startup India, and Self-Help Groups as instruments of economic empowerment, and noted that women were significant beneficiaries of minimum support price-linked support.

Minister Krishna Gaur criticised the Congress, alleging that the Opposition had earlier failed to support the bill in Parliament.

She said that women had hoped their aspirations would take flight, but those hopes were dashed, invoking the principle of Ubi jus, ibi remedium to stress the need for rights-based empowerment.

Former minister Archana Chitnis also attacked the Congress, accusing it of historically sidelining women.

She argued that opposing the current reservation framework amounted to denying women their rightful political space.

On the other hand, Congress leaders maintained that their demand was for the immediate implementation of 33 per cent reservation, rather than linking it to delimitation.

Former Leader of Opposition Bala Bachchan supported Singhar’s stand, intensifying the confrontation in the House.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government maintained that the resolution aligns with constitutional provisions and the broader roadmap for implementation, while urging all parties to work collectively for strengthening ‘Nari Shakti’.

With tempers running high and no consensus in sight, the special session underscored deep political divisions over the issue, even as both sides claimed commitment to women’s empowerment.

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