Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the opposition made a 'mistake' and will have to face 'consequences' after it opposed the women's reservation bill which led to its failure in the Lok Sabha, said sources. The prime minister made the remarks during a cabinet meeting that he chaired earlier in the day.
"In the cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister said that the opposition made a big mistake by bringing down the bill that would grant reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029. He added that the women of the country will not forgive them and they will have to face the consequences," the sources said.
The government tabled three bills -- Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 -- which it said were needed for the implementation of women's reservation bill. However, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to get a Lok Sabha nod as it needed a two-third majority or 352 votes to pass. On the contrary, only 298 MPs supported it, while 230 members opposed it. Following this, the government decided not to go for voting for the other two bills.
The opposition led by the Congress alleged that the government was trying to alter India's electoral map by bringing delimitation under the guise of women's reservation. It also alleged that delimitation would reduce the representation of southern and northeastern states in the lower House, further creating a 'north-south divide'.
The opposition said it supports women's reservation, stressing that the government must implement on the current strength of the Lok Sabha which 543. Many parties, including Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, called for a caste census and said the government must ensure that reservation is provided to OBC and Muslim women.
However, the government countered all those charges, and said the incident has exposed the anti-women mindset of the Congress. Though it was assured that no state will lose its strength in the Lok Sabha, the opposition opposed the bills and they will face the wrath of India's women, the government replied. Many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) women MPs were also seen protesting outside the Parliament after the defeat of the bill.
