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COVER STORY MAY 01, 2026 | The Indian Eye 5

betrayal, claiming that Opposition sure equitable gains.
parties had delayed women’s reser- This divergence has turned a pol-
vation for decades. “Congress, along icy debate into a broader ideological
with DMK, are doing injustice to clash over federalism, representation,
women,” he said, adding that their and governance. The Opposition’s in-
stance also harmed southern states sistence on separating women’s reser-
by complicating the delimitation pro- vation from delimitation reflects con-
cess. cerns about constitutional safeguards,
However, the Opposition has while the BJP’s approach seeks to
mounted an equally forceful counter- integrate structural reforms with gen-
attack, rejecting the BJP’s framing and der representation.
arguing that the Bill itself was flawed. Beyond parliamentary argu-
Leaders across parties insist they sup- ments, the political rhetoric has in-
port women’s reservation in principle tensified sharply. Modi’s assertion
but opposed what they describe as that the Opposition’s actions consti-
the government’s attempt to “club” tute a “sin” that will be punished by
it with delimitation and seat expan- voters contrasts with accusations from
sion—moves they claim could distort leaders like Jairam Ramesh, who de-
federal balance and representation. scribed the Prime Minister’s remarks
Congress leader KC Venugopal as “unabashed partisan demagogu-
accused the Prime Minister of misrep- West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is confronting the women’s bill issue raised by ery.” CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar has
resenting the Opposition’s position the BJP (ANI Photo) even alleged that the Prime Minister’s
and abusing his office. In a breach of address violated the Model Code of
privilege notice, he described Modi’s not the sole idea of this bill,” he said, gued that Opposition parties had Conduct, claiming it was aimed at in-
post-defeat address as “unethical and calling it a “mischievous ploy” by the historically resisted the Women’s fluencing voters during ongoing elec-
a blatant abuse of power,” alleging BJP. Reservation Bill since the 1990s. He tions.
that attributing motives to Opposi- Similarly, Samajwadi Party chief described them as “anti-reform forc- The escalating rhetoric under-
tion MPs violated parliamentary con- Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of es” that delayed justice to women for scores how the issue has transcended
ventions. He stressed that Opposition misleading the public and avoiding nearly three decades, while defending legislative boundaries to become a
members had “categorically stated substantive reforms. He claimed the the current proposal as a balanced ap- central electoral battleground. With
that they unanimously supported res- ruling party was “unwilling to grant proach that would increase represen- states like West Bengal and Tamil
ervation for women,” but opposed women their rightful reservation” tation without disadvantaging states. Nadu in the midst of elections, both
provisions that “struck at the root of and was using the issue for political At the core of the dispute is the sides are using the Bill’s failure to
the basic structure of the Constitu- messaging rather than meaningful contentious issue of delimitation—re- shape voter perceptions—particularly
tion.” change. Drawing a broader ideologi- drawing parliamentary constituencies among women, who are increasingly
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh cal contrast, he alleged that the gov- based on population changes. Oppo- seen as a decisive constituency.
sharpened the critique, questioning ernment was using institutions for sition parties fear that linking wom- Analytically, the episode reveals
the government’s intent and timing. “propaganda” while sidestepping de- en’s reservation to a future delimita- three key dynamics. First, there is
“For the BJP, it was a matter of the mands such as a caste census. tion exercise could disproportionately broad political consensus on the
BJP’s preservation and remaining The BJP, however, has countered benefit northern states with higher principle of women’s reservation,
in power, not women’s reservation,” these claims by framing the Oppo- population growth, reducing the po- but deep disagreement on its imple-
he said. He also pointed out that the sition’s objections as obstruction- litical weight of southern states. BJP mentation. Second, the linkage with
earlier women’s reservation frame- ism rooted in political self-interest. leaders, on the other hand, argue that delimitation has introduced a layer of
work passed in 2023 had not been Leaders like Andhra Pradesh Chief expanding the total number of seats regional and constitutional complex-
implemented, asking, “What was the Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ar- would offset such concerns and en- ity that has fractured potential unity.
hurry?” in introducing a new, more Third, the failure of the Bill has pro-
contentious Bill. vided both the BJP and Opposition
Ramesh further argued that the with potent political ammunition, al-
real issue was delimitation, not gen- lowing each to frame the narrative to
der representation. “The politics of its advantage.
the bulldozer and delimitation stood For the BJP, the focus is on por-
defeated. The issue was about delim- traying the Opposition as anti-women
itation, not women’s reservation,” he and obstructionist. For the Opposi-
said, portraying the Bill’s defeat as a tion, the emphasis is on questioning
“victory of democracy” and Opposi- the government’s intent and defend-
tion unity. ing constitutional safeguards. This
Regional parties have added dual narrative ensures that the issue
their own dimensions to the debate. will remain politically charged, with
TMC leader Jay Prakash Majumdar little room for immediate consensus.
dismissed the Bill as a “tactical step” As calls grow for an all-party
driven by electoral calculations rather meeting to revisit the legislation, the
than genuine commitment to wom- path forward remains uncertain. What
en’s empowerment. He pointed to is clear, however, is that the failure of
West Bengal Chief Minister Mama- the Women’s Reservation Bill has not
ta Banerjee’s record, noting that the ended the debate—it has intensified
state had already implemented 50 per Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi lead her party’s response in the Parliament’s three-day Special it, turning a long-standing policy goal
cent reservation for women in local Session (ANI Photo/Jitender Gupta) into one of the most contentious po-
bodies. “Women’s empowerment is litical flashpoints in recent times.

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