Delhi Police on Saturday detained several BJP women MPs who were marching towards the residence of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The protest was held against the Opposition after the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill on women’s reservation failed to pass in the Lok Sabha.
Union MoS Raksha Khadse, BJP MPs Bansuri Swaraj and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, along with other party leaders, were among those detained. The police also used water cannons to disperse the crowd of women protesters heading towards Rahul Gandhi’s residence.
Protest escalates after bill defeat in Lok Sabha
The BJP strongly criticised the Congress, calling its stand “anti-women.” Party workers raised slogans and carried placards after 230 Opposition MPs voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill, which required a two-thirds majority to pass.
During the protest, BJP workers also burned an effigy of Rahul Gandhi to express anger over the bill’s failure. The party accused the Opposition of blocking a key reform meant to increase women’s representation in politics.
Congress defends stance, cites delimitation concerns
The Congress, however, clarified that it is not against women’s reservation. The party said its concern is with the delimitation process linked to the bill, which proposes increasing Lok Sabha seats to 815.
According to Congress, the delimitation exercise could reduce the political representation of southern states in the Lower House. This, they argued, is why they opposed the bill in its current form.
BJP leaders slam Opposition over failed bill
Earlier, BJP MP Hema Malini, who also joined the protest, said, “They did not let the Bill be passed. So, we are all protesting here. Women across the country are doing this campaign together. Despite all our efforts yesterday, they did not let the Bill be passed…We are really upset. Women are protesting across the country.”
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj also hit out at the Opposition, saying, “The entire Opposition, especially LoP Rahul Gandhi, betrayed the women of this country yesterday. They backstabbed women. They want women’s role to be restricted only to polling booths. When it came to political representation, they prioritised their selfishness and became subject to the anger of women. They have betrayed women.”
PM Modi likely to address nation after political clash
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation at 8:30 pm. He is expected to speak about the collapse of the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill and may target the Opposition over its stance.
The bill, which aimed to implement women’s reservation from the 2029 general elections, was defeated in the Lok Sabha after voting. In the division, 298 members supported the bill while 230 voted against it, leading to its failure despite strong backing.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
