Fake news being spread: AAP's Sanjay Singh slams BJP over women's quota bill row

AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party for spreading misinformation about the Opposition's stance on the Women's Reservation Bill, which failed to pass in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

In a video message posted on 'X', Singh said that the BJP wants to divide the country by imposing delimitation under the guise of providing reservations to women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

“Fake news is being spread since Friday that the Opposition defeated the Women’s Reservation Bill,” he said, adding that the 2023 version of the Bill had already been notified on April 16 this year. Singh also said that the BJP and the Opposition had jointly supported the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2023.

His video came amid the BJP’s nationwide protests against the Opposition, which it has termed “anti-women” for defeating the bill in the Lok Sabha. The Women’s Reservation Bill received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, but fell short of the 352 votes required for a Constitutional amendment.

However, Opposition parties, including the AAP, have criticised the ruling party for linking the women's quota bill with the delimitation exercise.

The Rajya Sabha MP alleged that the Constitutional amendment bill was introduced to create discontent and gain political advantage ahead of elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

“If the BJP really cared about women, why did it wait for three years to notify the 2023 Bill?” he asked, suggesting that the timing of the constitutional amendment was aimed at wooing women voters in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Singh also questioned the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS, on their record on women’s empowerment.

"The BJP and the RSS have never had a woman chief. In fact, women are not allowed into the Sangh Parivar. But now they have turned into the biggest well-wishers of women," he said.

He criticised the BJP over its alleged silence on crimes against women under its rule in several states. "The BJP felicitates rapists. The party has remained silent on several cases of crimes against women," he alleged.

Singh’s remarks have intensified the political sparring over the Women’s Reservation Bill, with both sides trading sharp allegations over intent and timing, further deepening the divide and keeping the issue at the centre of the national debate.

- Ends