PM was confident Bill would pass as Oppn backed it in 2023, says Manoj Tiwari after Women's Reservation Bill fails in Lok Sabha

New Delhi [India], April 19 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was confident that the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, which linked women's reservation to delimitation, would pass in Parliament. He also accused the opposition of blocking its implementation and delaying women's empowerment.

Speaking on the issue, Manoj Tiwari said, "When this bill was introduced in Parliament, I was only looking at PM Modi's face. It took him a while to get up from his seat. He was confident that this bill would pass because all of them (opposition MPs) supported it in 2023."

He said the earlier version of the bill had received wide support. "When the Women's Reservation in 2023 was passed, we did not have a two-thirds majority even then, but all these people supported it," he said.

On the timeline for implementation and the delimitation process, he said, "Delimitation in this country could only take place after 2026. This was a decision made 30 years ago. After delimitation begins, it will take another two to two-and-a-half years, and only then, in 2029, will we be able to implement it."

Targeting the opposition, he said, "There is ill intent in the opposition, especially the Congress. Congress imposed its ideology on its allied parties."

He also spoke about increasing parliamentary seats, saying, "Most MPs on that side also feel that it would be very good if there were 850 seats, so that everyone is relieved of the heavy burden of voters."

Reiterating his support for women's reservation, he said, "All this was to come along with the women's reservation. But those who do not want to give women their rights have defeated it again."

Concluding his remarks, he said, "If not today, then tomorrow it will happen, and the obstacles in the way of giving women their rights will be resolved."

The proposed Bill aimed to introduce a 33 per cent reservation within the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats and extend similar provisions to State Assemblies, Delhi, and Union Territories, including Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir. Another member, Wilson, said the reservation should be permanent and not dependent on future exercises.

The Constitution Amendment Bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on Friday. It received 298 votes in favour and 230 against.

After the Bill was defeated, the government said it would not pursue the two other linked bills.

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