Devendra Fadnavis Blames Opposition for Derailing Women’s Reservation Push

Calling it a ‘black day,’ the BJP accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of failing to support the Constitution Amendment Bill to implement women’s reservation in legislatures from 2029.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a press conference on Monday and criticised parties such as the DMK, NCP (SP), the Samajwadi Party, the Uddhav Thackeray faction, and the Congress, alleging that they displayed an anti-women mindset.

Fadnavis alleged that the opposition had effectively “killed” the Women’s Reservation Bill and even celebrated afterwards, calling it an attack on the ideals of social reformers. He added that this year marks the 200th anniversary of Jyotiba Phule's birth and said his principles had been disregarded. He added that the stance of these parties had now been exposed, and claimed that women’s participation in democracy had been undermined.

Explaining the background, Fadnavis said delimitation was carried out in 1976, and through a constitutional amendment, the 1971 population figures were frozen until 2000. In 2002, a commission extended this freeze by another 20 years to avoid disadvantaging southern states, meaning delimitation continued to be based on the 1971 population.

He said the 2023 constitutional amendment on women’s reservation included provisions for a fresh census and delimitation. According to him, the process may take time and extend until 2028, but he assured that the reservation would be implemented by 2029.

Fadnavis pointed out that the Lok Sabha still has 543 seats, a figure fixed in 1971 when India’s population was about 450 million, compared to around 1.4 billion today. He warned that ignoring this disparity could undermine fair representation. 

He also said the bill aimed to address regional imbalances, while reiterating that the opposition was responsible for obstructing women’s participation.

He further claimed that the Union Home Minister had offered to consider changes if the opposition supported the bill. Still, he alleged that they failed to respond and instead made baseless accusations against the BJP. He highlighted that the BJP has promoted women leaders in states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Delhi, while accusing opposition parties of not doing the same.

Challenging opposition leaders to an open debate, Fadnavis said they would avoid such discussions. He also announced plans to mobilise women across the state, including a campaign to collect 10 million signatures and raise awareness. He said a large gathering would be organised, with allied parties also invited, and reiterated that they would continue their efforts until women’s reservation is implemented.

Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Fadnavis said that if there were an “Olympics for lying,” Gandhi would win all the gold medals. 

Referring to B. R. Ambedkar, he said concerns about women’s representation had long existed, and rejecting the bill now amounted to denying women their rights. He also accused Gandhi of frequently making remarks that insult women and other sections of society.

Responding to allegations by Priyanka Gandhi, Fadnavis said he would not blame her, suggesting she may not be fully aware of developments since 2023. He added that the Modi government has accepted the demand for an OBC caste census, and questioned why previous governments had failed to act on it despite longstanding demands.

He concluded by saying that any increase in seats would be uniform across states and accused opponents of creating confusion. 

He reiterated that the Women’s Reservation Bill would be implemented by 2029 and that women would play a decisive role in the country’s political future.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut hit back at Fadnavis, citing his 2023 tweet in which he had called the Women’s Reservation Bill “historic” after it was passed with 454 votes.

Raut questioned whether, if the bill had already been approved and implemented, there was any basis to claim it had now been “killed.” He termed the criticism “ridiculous” and said Fadnavis should instead question his own position.

He also demanded an apology from Fadnavis and Narendra Modi for allegedly misleading the public.