New Delhi, April 18: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has made serious allegations against opposition parties regarding the rejection of the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill (131st Amendment Bill). She claimed that the opposition had already decided to prevent women from reaching the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
In a video message, Gupta stated that parties like the Congress and the Samajwadi Party did not support the Women’s Reservation Bill. She emphasized that these parties were determined to block women’s access to legislative bodies at all costs.
Gupta accused the opposition of continuously creating excuses, citing issues based on caste, religion, and the number of seats as reasons for their resistance.
She pointed out that discussions have ranged from 543 seats to 850 seats, and delimitation has also been raised as a concern. The reality, she asserted, is that these leaders do not want half of the country’s population—approximately 700 million women—to have representation in the legislature.
Targeting opposition leaders, Gupta remarked that they only seem to care about the women in their own households. She noted that figures like Akhilesh Yadav only recognize Dimple Yadav, while Rahul Gandhi sees only Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi.
Gupta also highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clear stance that women should receive their rightful representation, criticizing the opposition for politicizing this issue.
Using the year 1971 as an example, she argued, “When 543 seats were established in 1971, the country’s population was around 500-550 million. Today, with a population of 1.4 billion, shouldn’t the number of seats increase?”
The Chief Minister alleged that some leaders have become ‘kings’ in their regions and do not want the number of seats to rise, fearing it would open opportunities for new representatives, especially women.
She pointed out that many countries have women’s representation ranging from 40 to 50 percent, while in India, women are being obstructed from advancing. Gupta termed this a ‘woman-hostile face.’
She warned that when opposition leaders return to their constituencies, women will question them about their lack of support for the Women’s Reservation Bill. Every woman will demand answers as to why this was done.
Gupta concluded by stating that women will continue to fight for their rights. “We women will claim our rightful place,” she affirmed.
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