A large protest march led by women, ‘Jan Aakrosh Mahila Padyatra’ was held in Lucknow on Tuesday, with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath calling it a nationwide expression of anger against opposition parties over the failure to pass a key women’s reservation bill in Parliament.
The ‘Jan Aakrosh Mahila Padyatra’ began from the Chief Minister’s residence and moved towards the Vidhan Bhavan, drawing participation from thousands of women, including ministers, party workers and members of women’s organisations. The march was organised to protest the non-passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to enable reservation for women based on delimitation.
Senior leaders of the BJP joined the march, including Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, along with the party state president Pankaj Choudhary. Lucknow Mayor Sushma Kharkwal and members of the State Women’s Commission were also present.
CM targets Opposition parties
Addressing the gathering before the march, Adityanath said the rally would become a “symbol of anger” among women across the country against the “anti-women behaviour” by opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and DMK.
He accused these parties of blocking efforts to pass legislation aimed at enhancing women’s political representation, stating that the protest reflected widespread dissatisfaction among women.
“A ‘Jan Akrosh Rally’ (Public Outrage Rally) is being organised today to protest against the attempts to obstruct the new amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and to defeat the bill in Parliament. I express my gratitude to the large number of women who have turned out for this protest demonstration. Be it the Congress or the Samajwadi Party, their true nature is undemocratic. They are anti-women. Modi Ji had offered them an opportunity–a chance to redeem their image. However, they chose to reject it. You have all come out despite this scorching heat,” he said.
The Chief Minister also highlighted initiatives led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that several welfare schemes have focused on women’s empowerment. He referred to programmes such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and sanitation initiatives under the Swachh Bharat Mission, which aim to improve living conditions and opportunities for women.
The protest follows the conclusion of a special session of Parliament where the proposed amendment linked to women’s reservation did not secure passage in the Lok Sabha, triggering political reactions across states.