New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday asserted that the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, should not be interpreted as a setback for the Centre or the BJP, but rather as a “huge blow” inflicted on the nation by Congress and other Opposition parties.

He made the remarks during a press conference held a day after the Bill was voted down in the Lok Sabha. The proposed legislation, which sought to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament, failed to secure the constitutionally required two-thirds majority, setting off a sharp political confrontation between the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc.

The Bill, which also proposed an increase in the strength of the House, fell short despite an extensive day-long debate. It garnered 278 votes in favour and 211 against, missing the threshold needed for passage.

Following the setback, the Centre chose not to proceed with two associated delimitation Bills, maintaining that each of the three proposals could be treated separately.

Expressing disappointment over the outcome, Rijiju said, “The way Congress did not allow it to be passed with the two-thirds majority, we are all saddened. We are not sad for the government or our party, but because this is a loss for the country’s women. The important step of giving power to women to make decisions in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies has failed, and that is why we are saddened.”

He further added, “This is not a failure of our government or our party, but a huge blow to the country by the Congress and other Opposition parties. They will now have to bear the wrath of women. Congress has now been stained with the dark stigma of being anti-women.”

Taking aim at the Opposition’s reaction, the Minister said, “Celebrating after deciding not to give women their rights and reservation is unfortunate and a clear display of an anti-women mindset. They have completely exposed their image. Excuses won’t work — different excuses won’t work. The straightforward truth is that Congress and its allies have brought down the Bill that was meant to give rights to women.”

He also remarked that celebrating such an outcome was inappropriate, stating that this was not the moment for any political party to rejoice after, in his words, denying women their due representation, describing it as a “sinful act”.

Rijiju also announced the conclusion of the Budget Session, describing it as “historic” and “very productive”. He highlighted what he termed as significant achievements, including progress towards eliminating Left-wing extremism.

He said the government’s commitment under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to eradicate Left-wing extremism was close to being realised. “The Home Minister explained this well during the discussion. This is a very big achievement for the country,” he said.

Elaborating further, Rijiju stated, “The three major challenges for our country have been: separatism and extremism in Kashmir, militancy in the Northeast, and Left-Wing extremism in Central India. Among these, the situation in Kashmir has largely become normal. Left-Wing Extremism is now on the verge of being completely eliminated. In the Northeast as well, except for some internal ethnic problems in Manipur, peace has been established in almost the entire Northeast. These are very big achievements for the country.”

Despite these achievements, he acknowledged that the inability to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill remained a significant disappointment. “Yesterday in Parliament, I also said that the work Modi ji has done to give respect and upliftment to women, no one could even imagine it. But we will continue to do this work with even more strength. I thank the Prime Minister that we made every effort and used all our strength to ensure that women get their rights,” he said.

He added that the government followed democratic procedures and could not compel Opposition members to support the Bill.

“Now, if the Congress and its allies are not ready to agree, we cannot force them to vote by marking them and physically pressuring them. Their mindset itself is anti-women. We cannot physically force them to vote. So we followed the democratic process and held the vote,” Rijiju said.

The Minister also claimed that he made repeated efforts to engage Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, but alleged a lack of participation from their side.

“They just write letters; they don’t come to meetings. All other parties came to the meetings. The Home Minister, myself, the Law Minister… how many times have we held meetings? We held meetings with everyone. The Congress party does not come forward. Then they say that discussions are not being held. They don’t come forward. They write letters three times, then say that we are not holding discussions,” he said.

Reiterating his criticism, Rijiju said, “This anti-women mindset of the Congress party has been exposed before the country. It is a matter of regret. The Congress will have to face the anger of women. But our efforts will continue. We will keep trying.”

–IANS

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