Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh criticised the Opposition on Saturday after the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, accusing the Congress party of obstructing a major women's empowerment initiative.
He also asserted that women voters would respond politically to this development.
Reacting to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's description of the bill's defeat as a “victory for democracy,” Singh said the Opposition was celebrating what he termed the setback of a historic effort by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enhance women's representation.
“The Opposition is saying the fall of this Bill is a historic step. In their view, it is historic because they have brought down the Prime Minister’s efforts for women’s empowerment in this country,” Singh told ANI.
He explained that the proposed legislation was designed to ensure justice for women, who make up nearly half of India's population, by providing a 33 per cent reservation in Parliament. “Half the population is women, and giving 33 per cent reservation to them in Parliament was a step to do justice to them. Now they are feeling great satisfaction by bringing it down,” Singh added.
Targeting the Congress party, the Union Minister alleged a historical pattern of opposition to major social reforms. “This is Congress’s character. They have always tried to bring down the steps of social change or social revolution in society. This has been their history from the beginning,” he stated.
Singh further claimed that women voters nationwide would politically respond to the Opposition's position on the bill. “The women power of this country will cast every single vote against the Congress party,” he said.
The bill's failure came after the BJP-led government did not secure the necessary two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, which aimed to implement women's reservation through delimitation. In a vote following lengthy debate, 298 members supported the bill while 230 opposed it, resulting in its defeat.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed the bill did not pass as it fell short of the constitutional threshold. The government had introduced three interlinked legislations, including the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju later announced the remaining bills would not be pursued.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had previously accused opposition parties of blocking a key reform intended to grant 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, maintained their support for women's reservation but opposed linking it with delimitation, criticising the move as an attempt to alter India's electoral framework.