"Women of our state condemn this": Arunachal CM blames oppn for not favouring Constitution 131st Amendment Bill

Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], April 18 : Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday blamed the opposition for voting against the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill that sought to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850.

"I felt saddened by what happened in Parliament. The Bill, passed in 2023, was a very good initiative, and it should be rolled out by 2029 with clear rules on how to implement it. The Prime Minister carried out the full exercise and presented it in Parliament," Khandu told reporters here.

He accused the opposition of taking a step back from the opportunity to provide women's reservation in the electoral legislature.

"The opposition talks about Naari Shakti and favouring (women's) reservation. But when it was being realised, they took a step back. I blame all those political parties that voted against the Bill. On behalf of the women of our state, we condemn this," the Arunachal Pradesh CM said.

"Since it is constitutional, a two-thirds majority support is required. Yet, despite long-standing calls for women's reservation, some political parties failed to support it," he added.

Khandu said that he was hopeful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would resolve the issue.

"We remain hopeful that further discussions with the PM will bring a solution. This was a great opportunity for women, not only for our state but for the entire country," he added.

His remarks come after the Constitution Amendment Bill was not passed in the Lok Sabha since it didn't get a two-thirds majority. The opposition alleged that the Centre intended to increase the number of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the guise of women quota.

The opposition has been labelled as "anti-women" by the ruling BJP and its alliance partners for voting against the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill that sought to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850.

The amendment bills introduced by the Centre were meant to advance the implementation of women's reservation legislation. It also sought to operationalise the women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

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