'Women Denied Historic Opportunity': Smriti Irani Hits Out At INDI Bloc Over Nari Shakti Bill

Last Updated:April 18, 2026, 16:35 IST

Smriti Irani said the Opposition presented a united front to defeat the women of India and deny them a historic opportunity.

BJP leader Smriti Irani on Saturday lashed out at the INDI bloc for opposing a Constitutional amendment aimed at implementing a 33% reservation for women in Parliament, saying women have been denied a historic opportunity. She asserted that the Opposition presented a united front to defeat the women of India.

In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Irani said, “It is outrageous what the Congress, DMK and Samajwadi Party did in the Parliament yesterday… They raised a bogey that the southern states would be disenfranchised (due to delimitation). Yesterday, the Home Minister proposed that if the opposition wants a written guarantee, he would take an hour to create an amendment for the government’s proposal for a 50% proportionate increase of state seats. Why didn’t the Opposition take up the Home Minister’s offer?"

“What the opposition tried to do was genuinely – in the guise of delimitation, southern states and timing – they wanted to deny the women their political right. There are youth in this country who want women to have a proportionate and respectful contribution to the politics of India. The Opposition was literally celebrating. What were they celebrating? The next Lok Sabha election is three years away," she added.

ALSO READ: ‘They Will Have To Pay A Price’: PM Modi Slams Opposition For Not Supporting Delimitation Bill In LS

‘Historic Opportunity Denied’

She further said the number of women supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been consistently growing, and this was an opportunity for every political party to come together and ensure reservation for women in the next Lok Sabha. “They have denied this historic opportunity to the women of India," she added.

Irani further emphasised that the concept of delimitation had been set constitutionally by the Congress, yet they were rejecting the process while being in the opposition.

“We will most definitely highlight this issue, be it the Parliament or on the streets of India. This was a historical opportunity for all political organisations. The government was very clear in its proposal. Why would you (Opposition) giggle, laugh, thump the desk, and be so joyful about degrading the women of this country? This shows that Congress and allies were never supportive of women’s reservation," she further said.

PM Modi’s Address To Nation

The 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, which aimed to introduce reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 and also increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 850, was defeated in the Parliament on Friday after failing to achieve a special majority.

Out of 528 members who voted, 298 supported the Bill while 230 opposed it. The proposal needed 352 votes to reach the two-thirds majority required for a Constitutional amendment. After the Bill failed to get enough votes, the government also requested Speaker Om Birla not to proceed with two other proposed laws.

During a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the opposition parties would “regret for the rest of their lives" for not supporting the bill linked to women’s reservation. He is also set to deliver an address to the nation at 8:30 pm.

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