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3 min readNew DelhiApr 18, 2026 05:56 AM IST
NDA MPs raise slogans during a protest amid rain, after the Bill was defeated, in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI)
Going on the offensive minutes after the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 was defeated in the Lok Sabha, the BJP’s national leadership led the charge against the Opposition on Friday.
Terming it an “extremely unfortunate” day in the history of Indian democracy, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh alleged that the development had exposed the “anti-women character” of the Congress-led INDIA bloc. “This Bill was not just a Bill, but an opportunity to empower Nari Shakti and give them due respect. Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi had appealed to all parties to rise above partisan politics and heed the voice of their conscience, but the Opposition sacrificed women’s empowerment and respect for women at the altar of their narrow political interests,” Singh said in a post on X.
“The entire country will always remember that the Opposition placed its political self-interest above the national interest and societal good. This anti-women decision of the Opposition has exposed the difference between their words and actions.”
“Now the people of the country will demand answers from them themselves. Even though the Bill did not pass in the Lok Sabha, our resolve has become even stronger. The NDA government will continue the fight for women’s respect and empowerment ahead as well,” Singh said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who replied during the debate on the issue in the Upper House, alleged that the Congress, TMC, DMK, and Samajwadi Party did not allow the passage of the “essential Constitution Amendment Bill for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam”.
“Rejecting the Bill that would grant 33% reservation to women, celebrating it, and raising victory cries over it is truly reprehensible and beyond imagination. Now, the women of the country will not get the 33% reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, which was their right,” Shah said in a post.
“The Congress and its allies have done this not for the first time, but repeatedly. Their mindset is neither in the interest of women nor of the country. I want to tell them that this insult to Nari Shakti will not stop here; it will travel far and wide. The Opposition will have to face the ‘wrath of women’ not only in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, but at every level, in every election, and at every place,” he said.
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Hitting out at against the Congress and the INDIA alliance Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that now, women will take to the streets against the Opposition party. Taking to X, he said, “April 17th marks a dark day for the nation’s sisters and for democracy. The Congress and the INDIA alliance have once again betrayed the country’s sisters and deceived its daughters.”
Chouhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had conclusively dispelled every apprehension raised by the opposition; and they had made it clear that no injustice or harm would be inflicted upon any state. Yet, the anti-women opposition remained unyielding, he said.
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