After facing a setback in Parliament over the women's reservation bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue during an election rally in West Bengal on Sunday. Addressing a public meeting in Barjora, Bankura, Modi accused the opposition, including the Trinamool Congress, of blocking the proposed legislation and "betraying" women.
The controversy follows the Centre's failure to pass the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, which aimed to implement women's reservation through seat delimitation before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The government did not have the required two-thirds majority, leading to the bill’s failure in Parliament.
Modi targets opposition over women's reservation
At the rally, Modi made women’s reservation a central theme of his speech. He said, "I want women to come forward for a developed India. Women should enter politics. But you saw what happened in Parliament. Trinamool again betrayed the sisters of Bengal."
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He further alleged, "Mothers and sisters wanted a 33 percent reservation. We tried for that. But Trinamool did not want it. They did not want the women of Bengal to become MPs and MLAs. So they joined hands with Congress and did not allow the law to be passed."
Earlier, in a televised address to the nation, Modi had also criticised opposition parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, and the Samajwadi Party, for opposing the bill.
Trinamool's stand and other political attacks
The Trinamool Congress, however, had taken a different position in Parliament. Party leaders argued that 50 percent reservation should be implemented instead of 33 percent. MPs Kakali Ghosh Dastidar and Kalyan Bandyopadhyay stated that Trinamool already has more than 40 percent women representation and supports greater inclusion.
The party has also accused the Centre of using the issue for political purposes. According to Trinamool, the government's push for delimitation linked to reservation is aimed at gaining electoral advantage rather than ensuring women's representation.
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At the Bankura rally, Modi also targeted Trinamool on other issues. He alleged, "Trinamool is destroying laws to help infiltrators. They want to give reservation based on religion. They are weakening the Constitution."
He added, "They listen to infiltrators but do not listen to Kurmis. Now Trinamool must be punished."
The Prime Minister also accused the ruling party of being anti-tribal. "Trinamool disrespects tribal mothers and sisters. During our tenure, a tribal woman became President. When she visited Bengal, the entire country saw how she was insulted," he said.
With elections nearing, the issue of women's reservation and parliamentary developments has become a key political flashpoint, with both sides accusing each other of misleading voters and obstructing reform.
