Delhi Chief Minister Accuses Opposition of Blocking Women's Representation in Assemblies

Allegations Against the Opposition

On Saturday, Delhi's Chief Minister Rekha Gupta accused the opposition of attempting to prevent women from entering legislative assemblies. She emphasized that women will continue their fight for representation in both Parliament and state assemblies. While discussing the Women's Reservation Bill, Gupta claimed that the opposition had already decided to keep women from reaching the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

She further alleged that opposition parties do not wish to grant political representation to women, who make up nearly half of India's population.

Commitment to Women's Rights

Gupta stated that these individuals do not want millions of women, who constitute half of the nation's population, to ever reach the legislative chambers. Reiterating women's determination to secure their rights, the Chief Minister asserted that they will indeed achieve their rights. These remarks followed the failure of the BJP-led government to secure the necessary two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha for passing a constitutional amendment bill aimed at implementing reservations for women through delimitation. In a lengthy debate, 298 members supported the bill, while 230 opposed it, leading to its defeat.

Bill's Failure and Government's Response

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed that the bill did not pass due to the lack of constitutional majority. The government had introduced three interrelated bills, including the delimitation bill and the Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju later stated that further consideration of the remaining bills would not take place. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused opposition parties of obstructing a significant reform aimed at providing 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.

Opposition's Stand and BJP's Counteraction

Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, expressed support for women's reservation but opposed linking it to delimitation, labeling the move as an attempt to alter India's electoral structure. Meanwhile, the BJP and its National Democratic Alliance allies announced a nationwide protest campaign targeting the opposition. According to senior party sources, the BJP has instructed its state units to organize coordinated demonstrations at all district headquarters across the country.