Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Women’s Reservation Bill, alleging that the legislation was being used as a political tool rather than a genuine step toward women’s empowerment.
Speaking in the House, Yadav claimed that the BJP was “seeking votes under the guise of the Women’s Reservation Bill” and accused the ruling party of attempting to compensate for what he described as a decline in its electoral support.
He further asserted that the Bill was being pushed “in haste” with an intention to avoid a caste-based census.
The SP leader also said that his party supports the idea of women’s reservation but raised concerns over its implementation and intent. He alleged that the government was trying to overlook women from backward and marginalised communities.
"Samajwadi Party is in favour of women's reservation. Samajwadi Party has a history of always working for women empowerment. Our leader, whose ideology we follow, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, always talked about gender justice and social justice," he said.
Government tables three laws in Lok Sabha
The government on Thursday introduced three major legislations in the Lok Sabha aimed at implementing the women’s reservation quota: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, and the Delimitation Bill.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved two of the bills, while Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the third. The House saw a sharp debate, with the ruling party and the Opposition exchanging strong arguments over the proposed framework and its implementation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to speak on the matter later in the discussion.
