'Anti-women mindset': CM Yogi slams Samajwadi Party, Congress for opposing women's quota bill in Parliament

Lucknow:

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticised Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and the Congress for opposing the constitutional amendment bill, which was linked to women's reservation, saying their anti-women face has been revealed in front of the entire country. 

Speaking at a press briefing outside the Uttar Pradesh legislature before the start of the special session, the chief minister said the INDIA bloc wanted to create an instability in India by opposing the women's quota bill. He also alleged that women were completely unsafe during Samajwadi Party's rule in the state. 

He said the special session was called to discuss opposition's move of not supporting the women's quota bill in the Parliament.

"Every person is aware about slogan against Samajwadi Party... Samajwadi Party and Congress are anti-women, everyone is aware about it," Adityanath told reporters. "They had a chance to improve their image by supporting the women's reservation bill, but they opposed it. The Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the INDIA bloc tried their best to ensure to oppose women's reservation. They wanted to create an instability in the country."

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the initiatives taken by his government to empower the women. "We will also thank PM Modi for his initiatives to empower the women. Under his leadership, the BJP and the NDA have taken many steps to empower women..." he said.

UP Assembly special session

A day-long special session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly has been convened on Thursday, focusing on women's reservation. According to a notification issued by Assembly Principal Secretary Pradeep Kumar Dubey, Governor Anandiben Patel had summoned the 18th Legislative Assembly for its second session of 2026 on Thursday, April 30, at 11 am.

The Samajwadi Party has criticised the BJP over the session and said the saffron party wants to introduce an "unconstitutional" condemnation motion in the House over the constitutional amendment bill failed in the Parliament. The BJP, the party said, said is attempting to provoke people, and women in particular.

 "We strongly condemn the proposal they wish to bring. When their bill fell in Parliament, they turned to this tactic to mislead people," Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, said. 

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