Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday criticised the Congress following the defeat of the 131st Constitution (Amendment) Bill, asserting that Opposition parties were mistaken if they believed they had stalled women’s reservation in Parliament and state assemblies.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office along with party MP Bansuri Swaraj, Majhi alleged that the Congress was opposed to ensuring adequate representation of women in legislative bodies. Referring to the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, he said the party’s stance was “unfortunate” despite having prominent women leaders such as Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
The proposed amendment sought to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats to facilitate the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women ahead of the 2029 general elections. The plan was contingent on a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. Similar provisions were proposed for state and Union Territory assemblies.
The Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday night.
“Those who think that the move has been stopped are mistaken,” Majhi said, expressing confidence that the measure would eventually be implemented. He added that women, who constitute nearly half of the country’s population, deserved greater representation and respect.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the Centre’s initiatives on women’s empowerment and referred to the abolition of triple talaq as a significant step in safeguarding the rights of Muslim women.
Bansuri Swaraj echoed similar views, accusing the Congress and its allies of “betraying” women’s interests. She maintained that delimitation was a constitutional requirement and not a political conspiracy, as alleged by Opposition parties.
However, the Congress and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) rejected the BJP’s claims, contending that the government had attempted to link the women’s reservation measure with the contentious delimitation exercise.
Senior Congress leader and MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said the legislation defeated on April 17 was not the original women’s reservation bill, which had already been passed unanimously in 2023. He accused the BJP of attempting to push the delimitation agenda under the guise of women’s empowerment.
In a separate press conference, BJD leaders termed the Centre’s approach “misleading”. Party leader and former minister Tukuni Sahu described the move as a “farce”, while former MP Sharmistha Sethi alleged that the government was trying to politically manipulate the issue.
Sethi noted that while there was broad political consensus on women’s reservation, several parties had raised objections to the delimitation proposal, leading to the Bill’s defeat.
