"Their impure intentions have failed": SP MP Iqra Hasan slams NDA govt over Constitution Amendment Bill

New Delhi [India], April 18 : Amid the intensifying political standoff between the ruling BJP-led government and opposition parties over the failed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hassan on Saturday claimed that the government move to expand the Lok Sabha to 850 seats was a calculated attempt to restructure political representation to its advantage.

Speaking to ANI, Hassan urged the government to implement the Women's Reservation Bill swiftly, aligning with the opposition's stance that the 33% quota should be implemented on the existing number of seats in the lower house.

Hassan stated, "We will celebrate because their impure intentions have failed... They brought an amendment through which they can change the electoral map of the country as per their desire".

Hassan questioned the necessity of the legislative package of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.

"There was no need for this... We urge the government to implement the Women's Reservation Bill as soon as possible," she remarked.

The defeat marks a legislative setback for the ruling NDA government, as the bill fell short of votes despite them having a simple majority in the House.

In the division that took place following the debate on the three bills yesterday, 298 members supported the bill while 230 voted against it.

After the Lok Sabha did not pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government had no intention to pursue the two other bills.

While Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the opposition of blocking women's reservation, opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, maintained that they support the quota but oppose its linkage with delimitation.

"Yesterday in Parliament, they came up with a new Bill. They said it was a Women's Bill, but that was already passed in 2023. The hidden agenda behind that Bill was delimitation. The idea was to reduce Tamil Nadu's representation in the Parliament of India and weaken southern and smaller states. We defeated that Bill in Parliament yesterday," Rahul Gandhi said during a campaign rally in Ponneri, Tamil Nadu.

Outlining his broader political position, he said India is a "union of states" where each state must have equal space. "Every state should have a voice in the Union and should be free to express its language and protect its tradition."

Meanwhile, the BJP and its allies are continuing their street protest against the Congress and the INDIA bloc, alleging that the alliance was anti-women and did not want to see the women of the country go forward.

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