A day after the Women’s Reservation Bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation at 8:30 pm, his office announced on Saturday. The Prime Minister’s Office has not specified the topic of the address.
The announcement comes soon after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill fell short of the required two-thirds majority in the Lower House. The proposed legislation aimed to introduce 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, expand the Lok Sabha’s strength from 543 to 850, and initiate delimitation based on the 2011 Census. While 298 MPs supported the bill, 230 voted against it.
Sources told India Today that during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, the Prime Minister criticised the Opposition, accusing it of acting against women by refusing to back the bill. He described their stance as a serious mistake and cautioned that they may face political repercussions in the future.
According to sources, he stressed that the narrative – that the Opposition harbours a negative outlook towards women – should be communicated to every village across the country. He also remarked that Opposition parties are now struggling to defend their position.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi, speaking at a press conference at the Congress headquarters, described the development as a “major victory for democracy” and a “black day for the BJP.” She noted that it marked the ruling party’s first parliamentary defeat since coming to power in 2014.
She further alleged that the Centre attempted to push the Women’s Reservation Bill by linking it with delimitation, claiming that “a broader strategy was devised to retain power.” Priyanka also accused the government of trying to sidestep a caste census by proposing delimitation based on the 2011 Census instead of conducting a fresh one.
In this context, with the bill failing to clear the Lok Sabha, both women’s reservation and delimitation remain uncertain, and attention is now focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address later tonight.