A day after a Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 and increase the strength of the Lok Sabha was defeated in the Lower House, the BJP and the Opposition on Saturday (April 18, 2026) engaged in a war of words over its implementation.
While the BJP termed the development a “black day” and accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of betraying women, the Congress and its allies asserted that the quota law, passed in 2023, should be implemented immediately and accused the government of playing politics over it.
Why women’s reservation cannot wait any longer
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress and the Opposition will have to face the anger of women across the country and accused them of permanently "damaging their credibility".
“They will have to face the anger of the women of the country. This is a black stain on the Congress and its allies, one that they will never be able to erase. This Bill was about giving historic representation to women — what objection could there have been?” he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
