Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress, DMK, Trinamool and Samajwadis of committing the “bhrun hatya” (foeticide) of an “honest endeavour” by defeating the constitutional amendment bill meant to fast-track reservation for women in legislatures.
In a 30-minute address to the nation, he sought to portray the Opposition as “anti-women” and said the country’s “nari shakti” would never forgive them this “paap” (sin).
“We didn’t get the necessary 66 per cent (two-thirds majority) votes to pass the bill.… but I know that the blessings of 100 per cent of the country’s women are with us,” a combative Modi said a day after a united Opposition had defeated the bill in the Lok Sabha.
“I assure every woman in the country that we will remove every obstacle in the path of women’s reservation. The parties opposing women’s reservation will not be able to stop the country’s women from increasing their participation in Parliament and state Assemblies.”
While focused mostly on attacking the Congress, the Prime Minister took care to also target the DMK, Trinamool and the Samajwadi Party, apparently in the context of the upcoming Bengal and Tamil Nadu polls and the Uttar Pradesh elections early next year.
“Before the eyes of the entire nation, the Congress and its allies have committed the foeticide of this honest endeavour. The Congress, the Samajwadi Party, TMC and the DMK are the perpetrators...,” he said.
Leaders of the BJP and its allies had earlier launched an offensive on Saturday, particularly targeting the Congress.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta led a women’s march to leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s official residence, with actor and BJP parliamentarian Hema Malini joining in. The protesters chanted slogans accusing Rahul of obstructing the bill’s passage. “Yesterday, crores of women across the country were watching Parliament,” Modi said.
Modi said: “It saddened me deeply to see that when this proposal in the interest of women was defeated, parties like the Congress, DMK, Trinamool and the SP — these dynastic parties — clapped and thumped their desks in celebration.
“It was an attack on the self-respect and dignity of our women. Women forget everything but never an insult.” Modi said the Congress had spread lies and misled the regional parties about the delimitation despite the government’s assurance that every state would have its seats increased in equal proportion.
“The DMK had the opportunity to enable more people from Tamil Nadu to become MPs…. It let that opportunity slip. TMC too had the chance… but failed to seize it,” he said.
Seeking to divide the Opposition, Modi alleged that a Congress in decline had conspired to stymie the regional parties’ future.
“The Congress has always sat there blocking every reform. Delaying, derailing, stalling everything that is in the interest of the country with its negative mindset,” he said. “Now, the Samajwadi Party has crushed the dreams of their ideologue, Ram Manohar Lohia, by opposing women’s reservation,” he said, asserting that the party would pay for this in next year’s Assembly polls.
Stressing the “dynastic” character of Opposition parties, Modi alleged that they feared having more women in politics lest it endanger their family-based leaderships. He ended his speech saying: “I know that today the mothers, sisters, daughters of my country — all of you are grieving. I too am grieving…. But our effort will not stop; our effort will not falter; ourinner strength is invincible. More opportunities will come our way.”
In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said: “The model code of conduct is already in place, and it was very clear how the Prime Minister misused official machinery to attack his opponents. This is a travesty of democracy and the Constitution.”