New Delhi [India], April 18 : Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday accused the opposition of attempting to prevent women from entering legislative bodies, asserting that women would continue their struggle to secure representation in Parliament and state Assemblies.
Speaking on the Women's Reservation Bill, Gupta said, "The Opposition had already decided that they would never allow women to reach the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies."
She further alleged that opposition parties do not want women, who constitute nearly half the country's population, to gain political representation.
"These people do not want crores of women, who make up half the country's population, to ever reach the House," she said.
Asserting women's determination to secure their rights, the Chief Minister added, "But we women will claim our rights."
The remarks come after the BJP-led government failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, which was linked to implementing women's reservation through delimitation. In the voting held after a marathon debate, 298 members supported the bill while 230 opposed it, leading to its defeat.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed that the bill did not pass as it fell short of the constitutional threshold. The government had introduced three interlinked legislations, including the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju later said the remaining bills would not be pursued.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier accused opposition parties of blocking a key reform aimed at granting 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, maintained that they support women's reservation but opposed linking it with delimitation, calling the move an attempt to alter India's electoral structure.
Meanwhile, the BJP and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners on Friday also announced a massive, nationwide protest campaign targeting the opposition.
According to top party sources, the BJP has directed its state units to organise coordinated demonstrations at all district headquarters across India. The campaign aims to "expose" the opposition's role in stalling a historic leap for gender equality.
The protests aim to mobilise public opinion in favour of the bill and underscore the government's commitment to increasing women's participation in legislative bodies.
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