Continuing his campaign 600km from Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Varanasi on Tuesday that women, a core support base of the Trinamool Congress, have backed the BJP in the eastern state and the other states that are holding elections.
"We passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament in 2023. It is necessary to implement this law as soon as possible. We started a debate in Parliament to amend the Constitution. This would have helped more women to reach Parliament and the Assemblies. But friends, the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, TMC and the DMK have once again ditched the women of the country.
"I am satisfied that the sisters and daughters of the country have understood their mischief. You can see that the sisters have created a record in casting votes in Assam, Keralam, Puducherry, Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The parties which oppose the women's reservation bill have no clue that the women have voted to punish these anti-women parties," Modi said, addressing a meeting of women in his parliamentary constituency on Tuesday.
The Opposition said they opposed the bill because the Modi government was more interested in delimitation of constituencies and didn't want to give reservation to women until the number of Parliament seats was increased from 543 to 850.
On a two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh, Modi is expected to continue targeting Trinamool and other BJP rivals during his event in Hardoi on Wednesday, when the second phase of the Bengal polls will be on. Modi will formally inaugurate the 598km Ganga Expressway between Allahabad and Meerut. It was opened to the public last year but a formal inauguration was awaited.
A government officer on duty for Modi's event in Hardoi said: "The PM's speech will be live-streamed across the country on almost every news channel and social media platforms."