Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday described the special session of Parliament as a “historic step” towards women’s empowerment, stressing that the dignity of women reflects the dignity of the nation.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said the government is moving forward with determination on this path, invoking a Sanskrit verse while highlighting the importance of the initiative.
"Starting today, in the special session of Parliament, our country is all set to take a historic step towards women's empowerment," he wrote.
"The respect for our mothers and sisters is the respect for the nation, and with this very spirit, we are moving forward resolutely in this direction," the prime minister added.
PM Modi is scheduled to address the Lok Sabha on the Women’s Reservation Constitutional Amendment Bill on April 16, and is expected to outline a detailed roadmap for the legislation, sources familiar with the development told India Today.
The Centre has convened a special three-day session of Parliament from April 16 to 18 to introduce amendments that would enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies before 2029, replacing the current timeline linked to post-2027 Census delimitation.
Centre-Opposition faceoff over bills
The Centre and the Opposition are set for a showdown in the Lok Sabha on Thursday as a three-day special session of Parliament begins with a debate on a key Constitution amendment bill that includes provisions for implementing the women’s quota law and the contentious delimitation exercise.
While the government is pushing the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026 as a major reform, the Opposition has decided to resist it, citing concerns over its delimitation provisions.
Both sides are mobilising support at the Centre as well as in states, amid apprehensions in southern regions that the proposed delimitation exercise could weaken their political representation due to their stronger record on population control.
On the eve of the special session, senior Opposition leaders met at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss and formulate a joint strategy on the proposed legislation related to the women’s quota and delimitation.
Apart from Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, those present included DMK’s T R Baalu, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Trinamool Congress’s Sagarika Ghosh, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant, and NCP SCP’s Supriya Sule. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joined the meeting virtually.
CPI leader Annie Raja, CPI M’s Nilotpal Basu, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, Independent MP Kapil Sibal, IUML’s E T Mohammed Bashir, and RSP’s N K Premachandran also attended, along with Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh.
