"Modern-day Duryodhanas...disrobing democracy": Haryana CM slams Congress's opposition to women's reservation

Rohtak (Haryana) [India], April 19 : Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday drew parallels between the Congress party and the antagonists of the Mahabharata, criticising the opposition's role in the wake of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failing to pass in the Lok Sabha.

Speaking to reporters in Rohtak on Sunday, Saini accused the opposition of actively working to "disrobe" women's empowerment within the "temple of democracy."

The Chief Minister did not mince words, comparing the parliamentary standoff over the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 to one of the most infamous episodes in Indian epic history.

"The behaviour of the opposition in Parliament is like disrobing women's empowerment in the temple of democracy," Saini stated. "Just what Duryodhana and Dushasan did, the Congress Party has done in the Parliament."

In contrast, Saini cast Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a protective figure, asserting that the BJP remains committed to the cause despite legislative hurdles.

"No matter how much they tried to stop the reservation, Narendra Modi, in the form of Krishna, will work to empower women. If not today, then tomorrow, women will get these rights."

Reaffirming his confidence in the central government's vision, he declared, "If not today, then tomorrow, women will get these rights. The opposition has no policy, no intention, and no leadership".

The Chief Minister's remarks follow recent political friction over the Women's Reservation (Amendment) Bill being linked to delimitation.

The Bill's failure has reignited a fierce ideological battle over the implementation of women's reservations and the legislative path toward gender parity in Indian politics.

In the division that took place following the debate on the three bills, the Delimitation Bill, 2026; the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, 298 members supported the Constitution Amendment Bill while 230 voted against it.

With the Bill failing to secure the necessary two-thirds majority in Lok Sabha yesterday, the ruling government leaders have accused the INDIA bloc of being "anti-women" while the opposition has maintained that they suport the women's quota but opposes linking it with delimitation and census processes, claiming that the Union Government brought forth the Amendment Bill as a political ploy to "rejig" the electoral map under the guise of women reservation.

With the Bill stalled, the government is expected to take this narrative to the grassroots level, turning the legislative defeat into a major campaign talking point.

Meanwhile, the Opposition continues to argue that the Bill's current formlinked to the census and delimitationis a tactical delay by the government, rather than a genuine attempt at immediate empowerment.

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