NDA slams 'anti-women' mindset while Opposition cheers quota bill defeat

India’s political divide was on full display on Friday as the women’s quota bill collapsed in the Lok Sabha, with the NDA accusing the Opposition of sabotage and the Opposition uniting against what it termed an “unconstitutional” move.

With 298 votes in support and 230 against, the bill missed the 352 votes needed to pass as a Constitutional amendment.

Following the bill's defeat, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju blamed the Opposition for defeating the bill, which would have provided 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. In contrast, the bill's defeat marked a rare occasion when the Opposition was able to get its act together to oppose the government.

While vowing to continue efforts towards women’s reservations, the BJP-led NDA did not mince words in criticising the Opposition.

Union Minister Amit Shah led the charge, who blamed the Congress, TMC, DMK, and Samajwadi Party for allowing the bill to pass. Shah, who spent an hour defending the bill before it was put to vote, argued that the Opposition will face the wrath of women voters in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

"The Congress and its allies have done this not for the first time, but repeatedly. Their mindset is neither in the interest of women nor of the country," he wrote on X.

In another post, Shah slammed the Opposition for celebrating the bill's defeat,



calling it a betrayal of India's women. "This celebration by the opposition is an insult to every woman who has been waiting for her rights for decades," he wrote.

Former BJP chief and Union Minister JP Nadda dubbed the bill's failure a dark chapter in India's democratic history.

"This is not merely the defeat of a bill, but the shattering of the trust that millions of sisters had nurtured for a better future. On one hand, we dream of empowering women by viewing them as 'Shakti,' while on the other, the opposition's narrow-mindedness has erected a wall in the path of their progress," he wrote on X.

Nitin Nabin, his successor as the BJP chief, slammed the Congress, DMK, TMC, and the Samajwadi Party for "anti-women" politics. Taking aim at the Congress, the newly elected Rajya Sabha MP accused the party of openly trampling women’s share and participation in politics.

"This negative mindset reflects the Opposition's anti-development character," he wrote on X.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hit out at the INDIA alliance for prioritizing "self-interest" over "national interests". "The Opposition sacrificed women's empowerment and respect for women at the altar of their narrow political interests," he said.

Meanwhile, in a bid to galvanise people against the Opposition, the NDA has decided to hold nationwide protests against the bill's defeat from Saturday.