Union Home Minister Amit Shah reacted on Friday soon after the Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated in Lok Sabha. He said 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.
Insult to Nari Shakti will not stop here: Amit Shah
"Today, a very strange scene unfolded in the Lok Sabha. 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. 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,” Amit Shah said in a post on X.
Know all about Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill
Earlier in the day in Lok Sabha, 298 members voted in support of the bill, while 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-third majority.
According to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were among those present during the voting.
This was for the first time a bill under the Modi government was defeated in Parliament. After the legislation was defeated during the voting, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House for the day and announced that it would meet again on Saturday.
The three-day special sitting was convened from April 16 to 18 for getting the Parliament's approval to the bill. When the Constitution Amendment Bill was defeated, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju conveyed to the Speaker that the government has no intention to move ahead with the two other bills -- the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill -- as both the legislations were interlinked with the Constitution Amendment Bill.
Rijiju says Opposition lost opportunity to honour women
Rijiju said the Opposition lost a historic opportunity to honour the country's women but the Modi government's struggle to give rights to women will continue. "We will not take rest till we ensure that the country's women get reservation in legislatures," he said.
After the bill was defeated, Union Home Minister Amit Shah blamed Congress, TMC, DMK, and Samajwadi Party for not allowing its passage. He said after the bill was defeated, the opposition parties were celebrating and raising victory cries which is beyond imagination and condemnable.
Shah said this "insult to the women of the country will not stop here but 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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Constitution Amendment Bill linked to women's reservation defeated in Lok Sabha by 298-230 votes
