NEW DELHI, April 18: Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on the Opposition on Friday, expressing outrage over the defeat of key legislation related to women's reservations in the Lok Sabha and accusing the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Samajwadi Party of collectively undermining women's empowerment.

Taking to the social media platform X, Mr. Shah said it was shameful that the Opposition parties were celebrating the defeat of a Bill that would have strengthened women's political representation. "This is not the first time Congress and its allies have done this. They have consistently adopted the same stance on critical issues concerning national development and women's empowerment," he said.

The Home Minister asserted that the Congress had no genuine interest in national development, women's rights, or empowerment, and that all the parties that had voted against the Bill had together betrayed Indian women who had been fighting for their rights for decades.

Mr. Shah warned that the Opposition would face a decisive political response from the women of India in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. "The women of this country will give a fitting answer to the parties that opposed the Women's Reservation Bill," he said, adding that no political force could afford to take women's aspirations lightly.

The 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, which sought to fast-track the implementation of the one-third reservation for women in legislative bodies, was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Thursday after the ruling National Democratic Alliance failed to secure the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment. Of the 528 members who participated in the division vote, 298 supported the Bill while 230 voted against it, leaving the government 54 votes short of the required 352.

AMARAVATI, April 18: The defeat of the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha amounted to a stain on Indian democracy, Andhra Pradesh BJP chief spokesman Valluru Jayaprakash Narayan said on Friday, accusing the Congress-led INDIA bloc of committing a grave injustice against the women of this country by blocking legislation that would have expedited the implementation of women's reservations in legislative bodies.

In a strongly worded statement, Mr. Narayan described April 17 as a day of humiliation for every mother, sister, and daughter in India. He alleged that while Congress spoke at length about women's empowerment, its actions in Parliament told an entirely different story.

"Congress has spewed poison on the question of women's reservations. Snatching away women's rights is a political sin. It is shameful that Congress is celebrating having defeated the women of this nation," he said.

Dynasty politics at the root of opposition, alleges BJP

Mr. Narayan alleged that the Congress party had consistently pursued anti-women policies, and that all parties that had obstructed the Women's Reservation Bill were those accustomed to dynastic rule. He contended that these parties could not tolerate the prospect of ordinary women securing a place in legislative assemblies.

Holding Congress president Rahul Gandhi and leaders of the INDIA bloc directly responsible, he accused them of having betrayed women by promising reservations while in power and failing to deliver. "They are traitors to the women of this country," he said.

The BJP spokesman observed that despite being rejected by the electorate on multiple occasions, the Congress had shown no signs of course correction. He predicted that the women of India would deliver a fitting political response to the Congress alliance in the days ahead.

Calling for electoral accountability, Mr. Narayan urged voters in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to defeat the Congress, DMK, and TMC alliances in the upcoming elections as an assertion of women's self-respect and dignity.

"Women's power will make itself heard," he said.

AMARAVATI, April 18: Describing the Opposition's stance as a black day for Indian democracy, BJP national leader and State Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party for voting against the Women's Reservation Bill and the Delimitation legislation in Parliament, asserting that both moves reflected a deliberate attempt to deny justice to women and marginalised communities.

"Opposing 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies is nothing short of obstructing the future of this nation," Mr. Yadav said in a statement issued late Friday evening. "This is a dark day for democracy."

The Minister did not spare the Congress on its track record, pointing out that the party had neither advanced the Women's Reservation Bill when in power nor supported it in Opposition. "This is the Congress and company brand of women's empowerment — block it in government, block it in Opposition," he said sharply.

Mr. Yadav argued that opposing the Bill amounted to denying women from ordinary families their rightful place in politics. "It is a direct assault on the rights of sisters and daughters of this country. The women of India and the people of this nation will not forgive the Opposition for this," he said.

Delimitation will reduce southern seats if based on 2023 figures, says Minister

Turning to the Delimitation issue, Mr. Yadav contended that opposing the Bills was tantamount to blocking the political advancement of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Drawing comparisons with established democracies, he noted that representation ratios abroad were far lower — one Lok Sabha member for every one lakh voters in London, 1.1 lakh in France and Germany, 1.2 lakh in Canada, 1.7 lakh in Australia, 2.7 lakh in Japan, and 7.7 lakh in the United States. In India, by contrast, a single Lok Sabha member represents as many as 27 lakh constituents, he pointed out.

Mr. Yadav acknowledged that conducting delimitation on the basis of 2023 population figures would result in a reduction of existing seats in southern States, with the exercise due in 2026. He maintained, however, that the Central government had taken appropriate steps in this regard, and that the Opposition's attempts to obstruct the process were both unwise and indefensible.

"It is deeply unfortunate that the very parties claiming to champion federal principles are standing in the way of a constitutionally mandated exercise," he said.

AMARAVATI, April 18: Andhra Pradesh BJP president PVN Madhav on Friday warned that the Congress party would inevitably face political repercussions for opposing the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament, describing the party's stance as deeply unfortunate and a clear betrayal of its stated commitment to women's empowerment.

Speaking to mediapersons in Amaravati, Mr. Madhav said that Congress members voting against both the Women's Reservation Bill and the delimitation-related legislation had exposed the party's true position on women's political representation. "Their actions in Parliament speak louder than their rhetoric," he said.

The BJP leader asserted that the Women's Reservation Bill was an indispensable reform to ensure adequate representation of women across all levels of governance — from the grassroots to the national stage. He contended that the Bill's implementation would significantly strengthen women's leadership at every tier of the political structure.

Mr. Madhav accused the Congress of paying mere lip service to women's empowerment while retreating when it mattered most. "A party that fails to protect women's rights will be given a fitting response by the people," he said.

Reaffirming the BJP's commitment to the cause, Mr. Madhav credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for several landmark decisions in favour of women's welfare, describing the reservation legislation as a milestone in that journey. He maintained that inclusive development was possible only by ensuring equal opportunities for women.

He also extended gratitude to all those who had stood in support of the Bill.