Lucknow, Apr 18: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of seats of the Lok Sabha “betrayal of the woman power” of the nation.
A 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 on Friday.
In a post on X in Hindi, late on Friday night, Adityanath said, “Today, a dark chapter has been added to the history of India’s great democracy. The Opposition’s obstruction of the passage of the Constitutional Amendment Bill essential for the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ is a blow to the honour of ‘Bharat Mata’ (Mother India). It is a betrayal of the entire woman power of the nation; it is an infringement upon their democratic rights.
“The Congress-led ‘INDI’ alliance has exposed its anti-women mindset. The women of the nation are watching and understanding everything. They will remember this deceit and injustice, and when the time comes, they will surely give a reply. Under the leadership of our Prime Minister @narendramodi ji, the NDA alliance will continue its unwavering efforts to protect the honour, dignity, and rights of women, and to ensure their empowerment.”
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. The Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds 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.
This was for the first time that a Bill under the Modi government was defeated in Parliament. (PTI)
