Hyderabad: The Telangana Police on Saturday placed the State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President N. Ramchander Rao under house arrest after the party gave a call to hold a protest against the Congress following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha a day before.
The NDA will launch a nationwide protest campaign on Saturday against the Opposition INDIA bloc over the issue.
Party leaders said protests will be organised at the district headquarters across the country, led by the BJP Mahila Morcha.
The campaign is intended to highlight what the NDA describes as an “anti-women agenda” of the Opposition, while mobilising public opinion around the issue.
Speaking to IANS, State BJP Chief Ramchander Rao said, “The women of the country have been betrayed by Congress, and for that, we have decided to offer our protest before the Congress office. Today, several groups of our party decided to hold a protest outside the Chief Minister’s (A. Revanth Reddy’s) residence. The police came to my residence in the morning, and they have house-arrested me to prevent me from participating in the said program.”
Hitting out at the ruling Congress government in the state, the State BJP Chief said, “We condemn the attitude of the Congress party with regard to the undemocratic way in which they have arrested me and then the way they are not allowing us (BJP) to protest.”
“The INDIA bloc is anti-women; they have done great injustice to women. This is a defeat of women because of the INDIA bloc parties’ political game,” he added.
Earlier on Friday, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, was defeated in the Lok Sabha.
The Bill, which aimed to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, triggering a sharp political confrontation between the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc.
The proposed legislation, which also sought to expand the strength of the House, could not secure the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority despite a day-long debate.
The Bill received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short of the required threshold for passage.
Subsequently, the Centre decided not to move forward with two related Bills on Delimitation, saying that the three Bills could be viewed in isolation.
The defeat of the Bill has triggered a sharp political confrontation, with the NDA accusing the Opposition INDIA bloc of deliberately blocking a historic reform aimed at increasing women’s representation in legislative bodies.
The Opposition, on its part, is objecting to the Women’s Reservation Bill being tethered to the expansion of Parliament based on the 2011 Census and the exercise of delimitation.
Earlier on Friday, the floor leaders of the ruling NDA met for a crucial meeting in Parliament following the defeat of the Bill.
It was decided in the meeting that the NDA constituents will raise the issue of the Opposition’s resistance to women’s empowerment, sources said.
The message will be delivered to people across the country through protests, press conferences, and social media to make people aware of the development.
(IANS)
