Kiren Rijiju calls women’s reservation bill defeat a "big blow to the country" in Lok Sabha

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday termed the failure of the Constitution One Hundred and ThirtyFirst Amendment Bill 2026 in the Lok Sabha a big blow to the country while holding the Congressled INDIA Bloc responsible for blocking the legislation linked to womens reservation and delimitationAddressing the media after the conclusion of the Budget Session Rijiju said the government had made sustained efforts to build consensus but could not secure the constitutionally required twothirds majority for the Constitution Amendment BillWe have the majority but we didnt get the twothirds majority required for the Constitution Amendment so this bill couldnt be passed he said while asserting that all other government business during the session was completed successfullyFocusing on the delimitation aspect Rijiju defended the Centres move to link womens reservation with the redrawing of constituencies calling it a necessary constitutional and democratic exercise This is not a failure of the government This is a big blow to the country by the Congress party and some other parties he said adding that the inability to pass the bill has delayed a crucial reform aimed at ensuring equitable representationExplaining the need for delimitation he said disparities in constituency sizes must be addressed in a democratic system If one constituency has 40 lakh voters and another has 60000 it is our responsibility to correct this imbalance The population has grown significantly and representation must be adjusted accordingly Rijiju said noting that the constitutional freeze on delimitation until 2026 necessitates an amendment processRijiju also rejected opposition claims that the government was attempting to delay womens reservation He said the linkage between reservation census and delimitation was already part of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam passed earlier They know why delimitation is necessary but they are pretending otherwise to derail womens reservation he allegedRijiju further accused the Congress of politically obstructing the bill claiming that it avoided meaningful consultationHe said We are all saddened by the fact that driven by political motives and a mindset of denying women rights the Congress Party and the opposition with a blatant majority prevented the passage of the Constitutional Amendment We are saddened because this loss has been inflicted on the women of the country This crucial step which was to give women a say in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies to empower them to participate in the entire legal process in the decisions that govern the country and in the decisionmaking process failed to pass Thats why we are saddened This should not be considered a failure of the government or our partyThe minister also claimed that the government had engaged in extensive consultations with political parties but Congress leaders avoided discussions He alleged that despite repeated invitations Congress preferred writing letters instead of attending meetingsThe bill had secured 298 votes in favour and 230 against falling short of the required special majority Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed its defeat after which the government decided to keep related bills in abeyanceRijiju maintained that the Centre remains committed to womens empowerment and will continue efforts to implement reservation asserting that the Congress Party and some of their allies will have to face the wrath of women The Congress party also bears a dark stain of antiwomen a stigma that will never go away Celebrating the denial of womens rights is a grave sin They consider it a victory by deciding not to grant women rights Womens reservation in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies is our responsibility and we must provide it Congresss mentality is to deny it and they are celebrating after defeating that bill They have completely exposed their true nature No excuses will work Congress and its allies have destroyed the rights that should be given to womenThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever