New Delhi, August 24: Political discourse surrounding women’s reservation in India is intensifying. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has responded sharply to Congress leader P. Chidambaram’s recent remarks, which suggested that Fadnavis’s statements were a result of mental fatigue.
Chidambaram took to the social media platform ‘X’ to reference Fadnavis’s earlier comments, stating, “Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis allegedly mentioned that Rahul Gandhi makes grand statements about women’s empowerment. However, when it came to passing the Women’s Reservation Bill, he and his party vehemently opposed it. I believe this statement must have been made due to mental fatigue, as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Bill 2023, which provides for 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, was passed in Parliament. The Congress party wholeheartedly supported this bill in both houses.”
In response, Fadnavis stated, “I also want to learn the art of selective memory. You are well aware that the 106th Constitution Amendment Act, 2023, known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, which you read and voted for, has clear stipulations. The provision for reservation of seats for women will only come into effect after the delimitation process, which will be based on the first census conducted after the Act comes into force. We all know that the census has been delayed due to COVID.”
He further added, “Waiting for the census to begin and then for the delimitation process means that the reservation cannot be implemented in time for the 2029 general elections. That is why, in 2026, the government introduced a new bill aimed at facilitating delimitation based on the already published 2011 census data, increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, and ensuring timely implementation of women’s reservation for the 2029 elections. Your leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress opposed this effort in Parliament, blocking the path for women’s reservation to be implemented by 2029. In 2023, you supported the 106th Amendment because you knew the NDA had the numbers, and it would pass with or without your support. But as soon as the real opportunity for early implementation arose, the true colors of Congress were revealed.”
Fadnavis concluded, “I reiterate that our leader PM Modi will leave no stone unturned to implement women’s reservation in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. So, I ask again, stop talking in circles and tell me why our mothers and sisters’ rights are being denied?”
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