A day after the Structure (131st Modification) Invoice, 2026 was rejected in Parliament, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday termed it a victory for democracy and opposition unity. She accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Occasion of making an attempt to “turn into the savior of ladies” and stated its “public relations machine has failed”.
The invoice, which was geared toward securing 33 p.c of seats for ladies in expanded nationwide and state legislatures forward of schedule and making it simpler to attract electoral district boundaries, did not go the Home of Representatives on Friday as a result of it lacked the two-thirds majority wanted for passage.
Addressing a press convention at Parliament headquarters, Priyanka stated it was a “darkish day” for the federal government because the invoice was rejected in parliament for the primary time. “The Modi authorities is looking it a ‘darkish day’ as a result of it acquired its first shock. This shock was a lot wanted,” she stated.
The BJP has hit again, claiming that the Congress doesn’t think about the nation’s girls, the constitutional framework or Parliament.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the Congress and stated, “If the Congress is celebrating the dearth of rights for ladies on this nation, nothing could possibly be extra unhappy.”
“They didn’t give girls their rightful rights and didn’t safe a spot for ladies within the nationwide legislature by way of such a historic and vital invoice. And if they’re celebrating this invoice together with another payments, I imagine that the ladies of the nation won’t ever forgive the parliament or the opposition events,” she stated.
Priyanka confused that it’s clear that the opposition events assist the Girls Reservation Act, 2023. “We’re very clear. We are saying this clearly: Convey the 2023 invoice and make no matter modifications you need. We assist it,” she stated.
“What occurred yesterday was an enormous victory for democracy… It was a victory for the structure, the nation and the unity of the opposition. It confirmed on the faces of the ruling celebration leaders,” the Congress normal secretary stated.
She claimed that the speeches given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Residence Minister Amit Shah in Parliament revealed that the 2026 Invoice was a “conspiracy” to retain energy without end.
“The entire conspiracy was to remain in energy and in the event that they did not do it quickly, they’d do it until 2029, which is the brink. The plan was to remain in energy without end. They used girls and their reservations as decoys,” Priyanka alleged.
“They thought that if the invoice was handed, it could draw the boundaries as per their needs. If not, it could defame the opposition. They thought they could possibly be the saviors of ladies, however it isn’t simple to be the saviors of ladies,” stated a Congress chief. “Girls have seen the historical past of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion. We’ve got seen it in Unnao, Hathras and likewise within the incidents of ladies wrestlers on the streets of Delhi.”
Priyanka additionally accused the federal government of making an attempt to hold out delimitation with out contemplating caste census knowledge. “Girls are taking note of every thing, together with PR and media. If we wish to do one thing strong, we should always implement the Girls’s Reservation Invoice, which was handed in 2023,” she stated.
“The individuals of this nation are very sensible. In the event that they (the BJP) wish to run a program throughout the nation, they will do it. No matter has occurred within the final couple of days, it exhibits that they don’t perceive the individuals. Their PR just isn’t working. Folks’s belief is eroding,” she claimed.
Referring to the India-US commerce deal, Priyanka stated, “Issues have modified for this authorities. The federal government is below worldwide stress. As my brother (Rahul Gandhi) stated, no prime minister will signal an settlement with the US in its present type.”
When requested if setting boundaries was a “want of the occasions,” she replied: “No, I do not suppose so. That is the way it’s being pitched…a whole overhaul of the Congress, and that too within the fingers of people that are inclined to disrespect the system and weaken all establishments, together with the Election Fee.”Rahul Gandhi, chief of the opposition in Lok Sabha, took the difficulty to Tamil Nadu on Saturday as he went on a marketing campaign path within the southern state, the place meeting polls are scheduled for April 23.
“Yesterday, you noticed what Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have been making an attempt to do in Parliament. They lied to the individuals. They stated they have been going to go the Girls’s Illustration Invoice. However behind that invoice there’s a demonic concept. They needed to alter the electoral map of India. They needed to weaken the states within the south and different smaller states.”
The BJP accused the opposition events of coaching weapons on Priyanka contained in the Congress, saying it was a “full insult to Nari Shakti”.
“I’m stunned that in a press convention in Parliament, they stated they supported the invoice handed in 2023 that talked about boundaries. However take a look at their duplicity. Additionally they stated that they don’t have religion within the Boundary Fee and its establishments,” Bharatiya Janata Occasion chief and former Union minister Smriti Irani stated in a press convention.
“Congress has no religion within the constitutional framework of this nation, in Congress, and within the girls of this nation…Congress is exposing its merciless face to the individuals,” she added.
Senior BJP chief Ravi Shankar Prasad focused Priyanka, saying the Congresswoman, who’s “from the Prime Minister’s household”, had used “unnatural language”.
