Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha accused the opposition of insulting women for political gain by opposing the Women's Reservation Bill, stating that this delayed a significant reform aimed at empowering women in India.
Speaking at a press conference at the Pradesh BJP office, CM Saha said the opposition’s stance reflected “self-centred politics” and condemned the INDIA alliance for blocking a historic opportunity to enhance women’s representation in legislatures.
“But the India Alliance or the opposition has once again insulted women and deprived the entire nation because they are desperate to protect their political land. They only believe in self-centred politics,” CM Saha said.
The Chief Minister described the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam as a “revolutionary step” in Indian democracy, intended to guarantee 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, according to an official release.
“Nari Shakti Vandan Act or Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 — I think it is a revolutionary chapter in the history of Indian democracy. Its main objective is to ensure that women get 33% reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. This is a historic law to ensure that women get 33% seats in the Lok Sabha and Assembly. It is not only ensuring women’s rights but also paving the way for women-led development in India,” he added.
CM Saha noted that the bill was passed in September 2023 in the new Parliament building and represents a demand spanning nearly three decades.
“The bill was passed in a special session in the new Parliament building in September 2023. The main objective of that law is to reserve 33%, i.e., one-third of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly. This is an attempt to eliminate gender inequality in India’s political structure. This is a very important step by the Central Government, which was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
The Chief Minister said the demand for women's reservation was long-standing.
“It is a struggle of almost three decades. It was first introduced in 1996 during the tenure of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. But it was not passed then. Many attempts were made during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 1998 to 2003. But even then, it was repeatedly blocked by the opposition. In 2010, it was passed in the Rajya Sabha during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but it was not passed in the Lok Sabha. At that time, the Samajwadi Party and RJD opposed it. Then in 2023, during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this bill was passed by a huge majority in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha,” he said.
The release further stated that the bill mandates 33 per cent reservation for women in the Delhi Assembly as well as in SC/ST reserved constituencies. After each election, those seats will be rotated through delimitation to ensure women have opportunities across constituencies. The bill's term has been set for 15 years but may be extended by Parliament. This law applies to direct elections and does not include Rajya Sabha members.
CM Saha explained that despite the bill's passage in 2023, implementation challenges remain.
“Therefore, it was presented again in Parliament in April 2026. It says that it cannot be implemented until the census is completed because the census process is currently underway. As such, we will have to wait for many more years. Therefore, this bill was brought again for amendment so that it can be implemented in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. There was a detailed discussion in the Lok Sabha on this. The opposition also raised the discussion, but the opposition did not allow it to be passed,” he said.
CM Saha accused Congress of working against women's interests, lamenting that 55 per cent of the population is female yet they have been deprived because the bill was not passed.
“Our government and PM Modi have been working for the welfare of women. The opposition succeeded for a period as the bill was not passed, but PM Modi has the blessings of crores of women. I strongly condemn the India Alliance, Congress, CPI(M), and hope that they will receive a strong response for this,” he asserted.
Industries and Commerce Minister Santana Chakma, MLA Mina Rani Sarkar and MLA Antara Dev Sarkar were also present.