Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday named and shamed the Opposition for defeating the Constitution Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha that provided for the early implementation of the women’s reservation and delimitation.
The bill was defeated by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha as they opposed the linking of delimitation exercise with the 33 per cent reservation for women.
Addressing the nation on the issue, PM Modi said, “Today I’m here to discuss an important issue, especially for the women of this country. Every citizen of this country is witnessing how women’s progress has stalled… Despite our best efforts, we haven’t succeeded. Amendments could not be made in the Nari Shakti Adhiniyam. And I apologise to all the mothers and in the nation for this.”
PM Modi slammed the Opposition for not allowing the amendment that provided early implementation of the women’s reservation for their “selfish politics”.
“Nation’s welfare is our priority, but when political benefit becomes the priority for some people, even bigger than the nation’s welfare, the women of the country have to bear the burden for this. The same happened this time as well,” he said.
The Prime Minister asserted that the ‘Nari Shakti’ of the country had to bear the burden of the “selfish politics” of parties like Congress, DMK, TMC and Samajwadi Party.
PM Modi said that he was deeply saddened to see that when this proposal for women’s welfare was defeated, “dynastic” parties like the Congress, DMK, TMC, and Samajwadi Party clapping with jou.
“These people were thumping the table after snatching away women’s rights… This was an attack on women’s self-respect and self-esteem,” Modi said, adding that “women forget everything, but they never forget their own insults.”
He continued: “Therefore, the pain of the behavior of the Congress and its allies in Parliament will always remain in every woman’s heart. Whenever women across the country see these leaders in their constituencies, they will remember that these same people celebrated and rejoiced when women’s reservation was blocked in Parliament.”
Watch PM Modi’s address to the nation
He claimed that one of the major reason for opposing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (women’s reservation bill) was the fear of dynastic parties like the Congress, DMK, TMC and Samajwadi Party.
Accusing the INDIA bloc parties of taking women’s power for granted, PM Modi said that the Opposition will surely be punished for the sin they have committed by opposing women’s reservation.
“They are forgetting that women of the twenty-first century are closely monitoring every event in the country. They understand their intentions and are fully aware of the truth…,” Modi said.
While opposing the bill, the Opposition had cited that the government linked it with the delimitation for political gains, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi asserting that they are ready to support the bill in its old form.
However, Prime Minister Modi said that the Congress, DMK, TMC and the SP, all major allies of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, have been making same excuse all these years to block the women’s reservation.
“Congress, SP, DMK, TMC and other parties have made the same excuse all these years. Raising some technical issue, they have looted the rights of women,” he said, adding that the country has not understood this “ugly pattern of politics”.
“There is a big reason behind the opposition to Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam – the fear of these dynastic parties. They are scared that if women get empowered, the leadership of these dynastic parties will be threatened. They would never want women outside their families to go ahead.”
“There is a big reason behind the opposition to Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam – the fear of these dynastic parties. They are scared that if women get empowered, the leadership of these dynastic parties will be threatened. They would never want women outside their families to go ahead,” the PM said.
Targeting the Congress, the Prime Minister alleged that the Grand Old Party hates the topic of women’s reservation. “Whenever efforts were made in this direction, Congress always put obstacles. This time as well, Congress and its allies used one or the other lies to stop this… They tried to mislead the nation.”
He further said that the amendment Bill was an opportunity for all parties and states and had it been passed, seats in Tamil Nadu, Bengal, UP, Keralam and every state would have increased.
“But due to their selfish politics, these parties betrayed the people of their own states. DMK had the opportunity to make even more Tamils, MPs and MLAs. It could have further strengthened the voice of Tamil Nadu. But it lost that opportunity. TMC too had the opportunity to push forward the people of Bengal. But TMC too lost the opportunity. SP too had the opportunity to lighten its anti-women image. But SP missed it. SP has already forgotten Lohia ji. By opposing Nari Shakti Vandan amendment, SP crushed all the dreams of Lohia ji. SP is anti-women’s reservation. Women of UP and the entire nation will never forget this.”
Sharing the grief of the mothers, sisters and daughters of the country after the bill failed to clear the Lok Sabha, Modi said his government’s effort (to implement women’s reservation) will not stop.
“I know that today the mothers, sisters, daughters of my country… all of you are grieving. I too am grieving in your grief. But our effort will not stop, our effort will not falter, our inner strength is invincible. More opportunities will come our way ahead as well. We must fulfill this resolve for the dreams of half the population, for the future of the country,” he added.