A condemnation motion was passed in the Bihar Assembly on Friday against opposition parties, including the Congress and the RJD, for allegedly obstructing the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament.
Soon after Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary secured a trust vote, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary moved the motion, accusing opposition parties of blocking the legislation due to what he described as an “anti-women mindset.”
The motion triggered sharp protests from opposition members. RJD leader Alok Mehta strongly opposed it, calling the move politically motivated.
The motion was later passed by voice vote after the opposition staged a walkout.
BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi supported and welcomed the passage of the motion, describing it as a historic step. He said those opposing women’s rights deserve to be condemned.
Calling the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill a historic step towards women’s empowerment, he said parties opposing it had shown a negative attitude towards women’s rights.
He said the failure to pass the bill amounted to a betrayal of women and added that it had exposed the opposition’s “anti-women stance.”
Saraogi also noted that after the NDA came to power in Bihar, 50 per cent reservation for women was implemented in panchayats and urban local bodies.
As a result, he said, women now account for over 59 per cent of representatives in panchayati raj institutions and municipal bodies in the state.