- 15 hours ago
The 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, designed to mandate a 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, failed to pass in Parliament.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00So it's 298 ayes, 230 noes.
00:04In the end, the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill did not pass the floor test.
00:11It failed the floor test.
00:13Women will not have the reservation that they were seeking.
00:18The opposition sticking to their guns.
00:21If you notice the numbers very carefully, nobody abstained.
00:25298 ayes, 230 noes.
00:28The Women's Quota Bill did not pass the floor test.
00:32Massive takeaway.
00:33Two-day marathon discussion on the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill 2026.
00:41The NDA needed two-thirds of the vote in Parliament,
00:45which meant out of 543, 360 votes were needed.
00:51But in the end, 298 voted in favor, 230 voted against it.
00:55There will not be 33% reservation for women in 2029 Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections
01:05that the Narendra Modi government said they were trying to implement.
01:10Of course, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju made it very clear.
01:13They may not have succeeded today, but their effort to give 33% reservation to Aadhi Abadi or 50%
01:23population of this country,
01:25women will continue.
01:31BJP women MPs are protesting outside the Parliament.
01:37I want to play with these images full frame for a moment.
01:40These are BJP women MPs who are protesting outside Parliament.
01:46Let's try and listen in.
01:47The Narendra Modi MPs have actually hit out at the opposition.
01:59While the opposition ranks, they were united.
02:02There was no break in the ranks.
02:04But Amit Shah, as he concluded his response, he made one thing very clear.
02:11He said this was a yagya, this was a yagya for 33% reservation for women.
02:19But then there were demons and those demons will be remembered.
02:23The demons who would put bones in the Havankund.
02:28The same thing opposition was doing today.
02:32I want to quickly cut across to our colleague Rahul, who joins us with the latest from Parliament.
02:38So Rahul, now we have these images of BJP women MPs protesting outside Parliament against the opposition.
02:44Bring us more.
02:46Well, Ghanav, it seems that the battle is over, but war is not.
02:50The war for women votes.
02:51And I have with me, Mr. NK Premchandran, who is a member of Parliament.
02:54He has just come outside from Parliament.
02:56Said the bill is defeated.
02:57And it seems that opposition seems to have hold the numbers together also.
03:00So you have got 230 votes.
03:02How do you view this, sir?
03:04No, it is a big blow as far as defeat, as far as the BJP government.
03:09This is a big blow as far as the BJP government is concerned.
03:13Because the first time in 12 years of Modi government in power, Modi government in office,
03:20a bill brought by the government is defeated badly.
03:24They are saying that women will now punish you in the upcoming polls.
03:28No, no, it is not the failure and the defeat of the women's reservation bill.
03:32It is the defeat of the delimitation bill.
03:35Because women's reservation bill is already there.
03:38It is in force.
03:40Yesterday by 10 p.m. the government has already issued an extraordinary gasset notification
03:45by which the 2023 Act...
03:49Two votes for the two-thirds majority they needed.
03:52That was a very significant win.
03:54And we are very, very pleased about it because we were never voting against women's reservation.
04:00We would have voted for it even now.
04:02We were voting against the mischievous linking of that to a delimitation project that is dangerous
04:08for our democracy.
04:09So we saved our delimitation, we saved our democracy by voting against the delimitation.
04:15And we vote...
04:18You heard Shashi Tharoor there.
04:21Shashi Tharoor saying that if they were only bringing the women's reservation bill,
04:25the entire opposition would have been united.
04:28What the Congress party or the opposition found mischievous or devious was, according to the opposition,
04:36that they were trying to bring delimitation through the back door and linking it to women's reservation bill.
04:44And that is why this bill has been defeated, according to the opposition.
04:48As far as the government is concerned, they say we may have lost the battle,
04:52but they will continue to fight this war, will take this to the people of this country.
04:58The people, as the Prime Minister also said, he said he leaves it to the conscience of the people.
05:02Let them decide whether the MPs did the right thing.
05:07And the women of this country will teach those who voted against the bill a lesson.
05:13The Prime Minister's focus throughout remained on the women's reservation bill.
05:18The opposition says women's reservation bill was the mask.
05:22The government was mischievously, according to them, trying to bring the delimitation aspect.
05:28Rahul Gautam once again with me on this.
05:31Rahul, the opposition celebrating its victory on this.
05:36What is their response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah repeatedly saying in Parliament
05:41that delimitation had to come with the women's reservation bill,
05:45the manner in which it was structured to be implemented in 2029,
05:50once the number of seats went up to 815 or 850?
05:56Well, Gaurav, I can tell you and confirm this to our viewers
06:00that a lot of opposition leaders have taken a sigh of relief
06:03given the fact that they have been able to defeat the bill on the floor of the House.
06:08They believe that possibly for the first time,
06:11you know, their floor coordination was better and it was up to the mark
06:15and that's why they've been able to poll 230 votes,
06:18which is only 10 notch below their real numbers.
06:22As far as Amish Shah saying that, you know,
06:24the delimitation is the need of the hour
06:26and you have got, you know, 123 constituencies
06:29wherein the population or the voters are above 25 lakhs.
06:33In fact, he listed some of the...
06:34Okay, give me a moment, live reactions coming in.
06:37Let's listen and I'm coming back to you.
06:39Yes.
06:43Yes.
06:46Yes.
07:04To get the message,
07:11foreign
07:18foreign
07:19foreign
07:20foreign
07:24across and listening to Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
07:56Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
08:25Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
09:12Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
09:20Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
09:27Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
10:09Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
10:16Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
10:26Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
10:38Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
10:48Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
11:17Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
11:21Jitiza Bahadur Singh reporting on the protest.
11:22Jitendra Bahadur said that,
11:35foreign
11:44foreign
11:47foreign
11:49foreign
11:49foreign
12:14Thank you very much.
12:19foreign
12:24foreign
12:26foreign
12:29foreign
12:36foreign
12:37foreign
12:38foreign
12:38foreign
12:45foreign
13:17I can see you are completely drenched in water, it's raining also in parliament, but are you
13:35heard that the people in the government cannot split place now?
13:39Yes, I am very proud of Ahmaud, I am very proud of Ahmaud, I am very proud of Ahmaud, I
13:44am very proud of Ahmaud,
13:47because it was a day of commerce for the government, but it seems that political selfishness prevailed
13:56on the Population Party and the entire opposition and they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
14:01As far as they had passed this bill unanimously in 2023, but when it came to put their mouth
14:08where there is money is for implementation in 2029, they made excuses and they have actually
14:14put a dhoka kara in this country.
14:17What do you want to say today? What do you want to say today?
14:23Thank you, Mr. Pahramanarji.
14:24I would like to say that you are the first person of the country in the country.
14:27It was one time when you were the first person of the country.
14:31We had to take care of this particular village or the human reservation and the church.
14:37We had to take care of this village and the new village to be a village.
14:48Today, we have brought our village village to the village, to the village of the village.
14:51We had to take care of the village.
14:52We have to take care of the village.
14:53The government will not be able to make the power of the government.
14:57For the people.
15:02The BJP making it very clear, it's a historic misstep according to the BJP by the opposition.
15:10And they will take it from the parliament to the streets and to every village across the country.
15:18Multiple BJP women MPs, they said that this was a historic opportunity to provide 33% reservation to women.
15:27The home minister in parliament, he said this is not the time for kintu parantu politics and that this should
15:36be implemented.
15:37Rahul Gandhi, leader of opposition, accuses the government of using unconstitutional tactics.
15:43He said the India Bloc was united and it stopped the government's unconstitutional tactics according to him.
15:53We are getting a lot of reactions.
15:55I want to also quickly bring my colleague Preeti Chaudhary into this conversation.
16:00Preeti, in the government NDA vs India Bloc fight, women are the losers.
16:06But when these BJP women MPs say they will take it to every village, every city, every town and the
16:12women voters will realize Congress and the opposition are anti-women.
16:18Does that give the opposition a reason to be concerned?
16:23Well, there are two elections in order, one in West Bengal and one in Tamil Nadu.
16:26We'll only know which charge sticks, whether it is the government's charge which says that it is the opposition that
16:34has stalled history in the making to give women representation, 33%.
16:38Or it is the charge of the opposition that says that this was just a garb, a political tool, women
16:46representation.
16:47The ultimate aim was delimitation to redraw the political boundaries of the country before 2029.
16:52So we'll only know. There are two elections, Gaurav. It's not very far from now, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
16:58But yes, so close yet so far, possibly a better solution could have been that both the Treasury benches and
17:05the opposition thrash it out.
17:06The fears of the opposition were laid to rest. There was confidence building measures.
17:13And maybe this bill should have been tabled in the monsoon session and possibly we could have created history.
17:18So a mischance at history, Gaurav, where women representation is concerned.
17:22But I'd just like to say one thing before I hand it back to you.
17:25There has to be political will where parties are concerned as well.
17:29It needs to start in their very home. Look at it, Gaurav.
17:33Our parliamentary representation has never quite exceeded 17% where women representation is concerned.
17:39Any national party hardly gives tickets to women when it comes down to elections.
17:44Number three, if you actually, you know, look at the parliamentary board of the BJP, 11 members, one woman.
17:51Look at the Congress of CWC, 34 members, four women.
17:54So it's time they looked in as well.
17:57But yes, 100% Gaurav.
17:59This was a day where history was in the making.
18:02And sadly, it's decades in the making, Gaurav.
18:05And what I find quite amusing and disheartening is the opposition always bands together whichever side of the divide they
18:16are.
18:16It's happened right from 1987 against women getting larger representation irrespective of political divide.
18:23The Home Minister tried to point that out that it's the same lobby, the same group that has always opposed
18:30the Women's Reservation Bill.
18:32And he listed out instances of the same people opposing it.
18:37But Gaurav, the JDU sits right with the NDA.
18:40Well, the leaders of the JDU that time, you know, and you don't speak ill of those who are no
18:46more.
18:46But those in the JDU who then spoke against the bill, well, you know, you know what they were and
18:53what they said.
18:55Words to the effect of only Parkati Mahilai will benefit or words to that effect and not the rural women.
19:00But the Home Minister tried to clarify that point repeatedly when he said, one, it will not create a north
19:07-south divide,
19:07which the opposition was trying to do, that there is no north-south divide.
19:13I hear you on all of that, right?
19:15And I'm not once saying that the…
19:17Like I said, there should have been discussion.
19:19But there are questions, Gaurav.
19:20The government knew very well that this bill would get defeated.
19:23Why bring it bang in the middle of elections?
19:25West Bengal elections is less than six days before West Bengal goes to vote, Tamil Nadu goes to vote.
19:30Why bring it right now?
19:31Number one, why couldn't you do it on the basis of 2023?
19:35The bill is already a law.
19:37It's a matter of implementation.
19:38But didn't the Home Minister clarify that point?
19:40That it had to be done in 2026 since there was a restriction on delimitation still in 2026?
19:51But the trust deficit runs deep.
19:53Why link delimitation to the exercise of representation, increasing representation?
19:58Because then there will be a delimitation commission.
20:01You might have opposition members on it.
20:02But there will be the CEC, Chief Election Commission, Gyanesh Kumar.
20:06You know that kind of trust deficit there already is from the opposition where Gyanesh Kumar of CEC is concerned.
20:11So there are a lot of issues.
20:13Delink it from delimitation and then let's do it.
20:16But it has to be done again in tandem as the Home Minister tried to explain.
20:22But then, okay, politics on the subject, be that as it may.
20:26But the fact remains, one, women have lost out.
20:28Two, you are in a state that goes to polls where women voters are considered extremely, extremely important.
20:34And to a very large extent, Mamata Banerjee has been able to hold on to a large number of women
20:40voters.
20:41Any instant reaction that you have been able to pick up?
20:44Because I am sure women were watching whatever was happening in parliament very closely.
20:49Well, you know, I'm in the rural belt.
20:52So it's a non-issue in the rural belt where West Bengal is concerned.
20:55Maybe in the urban pockets, it could be a sticking point.
20:57But one would need to gauge the reactions of women.
21:00But no, I don't see.
21:02Personally, I do not see, you know, political repercussions in the state of West Bengal.
21:09There's a completely different political battle going on in West Bengal.
21:12There is anti-incumbency against Mamata Banerjee.
21:15Nobody is denying it.
21:16But will it be aided by what has happened in parliament today where her MPs have voted against the bill?
21:21I doubt.
21:22I don't think that's happening.
21:24Okay.
21:25Preeti, stay with me for a moment.
21:26Breaking news coming in.
21:27NDA meeting underway after the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was defeated.
21:33This is a crucial NDA meeting that is currently happening.
21:38Now, this is where the BJP and the NDA partners decide on their next course of action.
21:44Their next strategy, what is to be done next is what they decide after this.
21:49Of course, those women MPs have made it very clear.
21:52They intend to take it to every village.
21:56Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he's a part of this meeting.
22:02Remember, Amit Shah had steered this entire Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and of course the conversation around delimitation.
22:12I want to quickly bring in Aishwarya Paliwal for more on this Aishwarya.
22:15And the treasury bench is disappointed by the defeat.
22:19Or do they see a strategy here?
22:22They can harness this or exploit this electorally?
22:26This elections and subsequent elections, Aishwarya?
22:30Well, you know, one of the things that the BJP at the moment was looking at is that if you
22:34just look at the straight number and there are in fact, let me tell you, close to 20 MPs who
22:39abstained, who were not in the house when the voting took place.
22:41So this is something that the BJP understood very well. And you know how prepared they were, Kaurav?
22:46The number of women MPs out there with the banners and the posters and pointing fingers at the opposition, especially
22:52the Congress Party.
22:53This is how prepared the BJP was. What should be the next course of action? What needs to be done
22:57next?
22:58This is something which is a strategy which is now being looked at.
23:01This is a very crucial NDA meeting which is now taking place given the fact, Kaurav, that tomorrow the cabinet
23:06meeting is at 11.30 a.m.
23:08You know, a lot of people still at this point of time believe that there could be a rabbit that
23:12the Bharti Janta Party, the ruling party, could actually, you know, bring out from the hat something that no one
23:17at the moment is aware of.
23:19This is a very crucial meeting. Home Minister Amit Chah will be joining in and this meeting is taking place
23:23in the parliament.
23:26Okay, Ravi Shankar Prasad speaking, reacting. Let's quickly listen in.
23:58,
24:22So a historic opportunity lost is what BJP and NDA partners are saying.
24:29Images that you see on your television screen are of BJP and NDA women MPs predominantly but the ruling the
24:37treasury benches they are carrying out a protest inside the parliament house complex outside the Makar Dwar as you see
24:47in those images protesting the opposition's tactics to defeat Nari Shakti Vandan Abhin Diyanand.
25:28So this is the same thing.
25:29foreign
25:36foreign
25:42foreign
25:43foreign
26:05Thank you very much.
26:16foreign
26:18foreign
26:22foreign
26:23foreign
26:23foreign
26:25foreign
26:30foreign
26:31foreign
26:39foreign
27:30।
27:34he elles есть
27:38my love
27:40uma
27:41a
27:42a
27:42should
27:42and
27:43when he went
27:45she W
27:56her
27:58foreign
27:59foreign
28:50So that's why colleague Jitendra Bahadur Singh reporting from outside the parliament building
28:55where NDA members, women MPs predominantly, they say that the Congress will now have to face the curse of Adhi
29:05Abadi of women voters
29:07for not permitting the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam clear the floor test.
29:12I want to bring in Rahul Gautam for more on this. Rahul, we are listening to the BJP women MPs.
29:19As how is the BJP responding to the criticism? One, why was this brought right in the middle of elections
29:27if electoral gains wasn't their primary objective, Rahul?
29:32One of what happened today inside the parliament is certainly going to have far-reaching implications
29:38as far as India's political landscape is concerned and I'll tell you why.
29:42Now you would often hear, you know, BJP creating this narrative that it was India block,
30:17it was Congress-led opposition that actually...
30:19I want to bring it up to the listener.
30:20All the people who have left it, the politicians are saying that everyone's working from,
30:20they say that it's the government.
30:23But the government did not have them to force their own authority, because they say it's not only Bill passed.
30:33Because the government understands that the government has become aner,
30:43they say that they can arrest it.
30:43The government, the government says that it's permanent in the north seat of the country,
30:45which is not only the government who works for its safety.
30:45Even the government has become dangerous.
30:46Now that the government wants to say that their government's downstounds.
30:47I am sure that the government has no number for this.
30:58The government has no number for this.
31:03But the government knows that the government has no number for this.
31:15foreign
32:06ཁྲོན སྲད
32:11Thank you all sides of that very powerful story.
32:14You're listening to BJP and NDA women MPs and you're also listening,
32:18you just heard Imran Pratapgadi of the Congress Party,
32:22where he said this was a very mischievous, a very devious attempt of the government
32:25to use the women reservation bill as a shield to bring in delimitation.
32:32Pari Seeman, as he put it, the attempt to bring delimitation.
32:36But Union Home Minister Amit Shah also responded to that.
32:39That delimitation has to be done at regular intervals.
32:45There was a restriction from 71 to 2026 and that is why in 2026 they had to talk about delimitation.
32:54And he gave details of how you have some parliamentary constituencies
32:58where one MP is representing in some instances like Ghaziabad, 28 lakh voters.
33:04In some instances, and he gave an example of Andhra Pradesh in one constituency
33:10where almost 45 lakh voters for one MP.
33:14And then you had in some instances only 6 lakh voters in another constituency.
33:20Then he also said, when the opposition said on the aspect of bringing SCST reservation
33:25and seats for them, he said, once delimitation is done,
33:30you know how many SCST, their, you know, numbers have increased
33:35and accordingly their seats increase.
33:37This is what the opposition, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah,
33:40this is what they have obstructed.
33:43Now, which side is able to carry its narrative to the voters is the big question
33:48because the image that you see on your television screen is that very powerful image
33:54of M.K. Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, when he said the bill on fire.
34:00And that, in a way, symbolizes what the opposition is saying and thinking
34:07and the protests on your screens, that indicates what the ruling party
34:12or the Treasury benches is thinking.
34:14The numbers on your screen fell short by 54 votes.
34:20298 in favour and 230 against.
34:2454 short for the two-third majority.
34:27Now, M.K. Stalin has responded to the bill being defeated.
34:30He said, and I quote,
34:32a good news has come in and I want to share it with all of you.
34:36Against Tamil Nadu, they wanted to bring the delimitation bill.
34:40The resolution in that bill has been a victorious defeat and we have won.
34:48This win is just the trailer.
34:51The next win will be a victorious and magnanimous one.
34:57Unquote.
34:58So, M.K. Stalin, in the run-up to elections,
35:02making that big point that the next victory will be even larger and magnanimous.
35:10He says, and I quote, good news has come in.
35:12I want to share it with all of you.
35:14Against Tamil Nadu, they wanted to bring the delimitation bill.
35:18Let's, okay, let's listen in.
35:19Let's listen in to M.K. Stalin.
35:20I'll get you more on the story.
35:32Coming in, the resolution in that bill has been a victorious defeat and we have won.
35:38This win is just the trailer.
35:40The next win will be a victorious and magnanimous one.
35:45It will just take a moment that that reaction is just coming in.
35:49We shall play that out.
35:52Okay, listen in.
35:52Listen in to M.K. Stalin.
35:53I'll get you more on that story.
35:54I'll get you more on that story.
36:24Thamunaadda, Delhi.
36:26Thamunaadda, Delhi.
36:28Thamunaadda, Delhi.
36:30Thamunaadda, Delhi.
36:31Thamunaadda, Delhi.
36:31Thamunaadda, Delhi.
36:32Thamunaadda, Delhi.
36:33Theradda, there are five people.
36:35You have to say,
36:37one day,
36:40one day you are such a great fight.
36:43I have to say,
36:44you're going to say that,
36:46you've got to be in a row.
36:50You're not going to see a chance,
36:52you're going to say,
36:54you're going to be able to make it
36:55and make it work.
36:57I'm going to say,
36:58we've got to make it.
37:01I say this is my trailer.
37:04I tell you to tell you Tamunata Delhi.
37:12Tamunata Delhi.
37:14Tamunata Delhi.
37:15I hear this.
37:19I hear it.
37:20One more time.
37:22a bigger victory in store says the Tamil Nadu chief minister of course once again in his response
37:30union home minister Amit Shah he made it very clear one there is no north-south divide those
37:37who attempt to create this north-south divide are doing great disservice to the nation two
37:41the importance and significance of southern states will not reduce in terms of percentage
37:49points and in actual numbers he gave out those details a 50% number seats are going up in every
37:55state then there is no question of the importance of southern states going down there are many many
38:03more reactions coming in from across the political spectrum those who are celebrating the bill failing
38:10the floor test on the house and those who are saying there will be consequences for those who
38:16defeated 33% women coming into parliament we'll get you all those reactions listen in
38:21words
38:52Thank you very much.
39:16Thank you very much.
39:46Thank you very much.
43:00Sorry, I hope you can hear me because we've been running in and out of the parliament.
43:05But clearly, you know, there is the bone of contention remain.
43:09There was a moment in the parliament when we were watching with bated breath because we thought that there could
43:16be a near consensus over some alterations in the bill.
43:20And there were two conditions that were put by the opposition. One was, all right, you mentioned that 50%
43:27high conceits in the amendment, insert a clause.
43:32And the second one was that you delinked it with the census, the delimitation, redo that.
43:38So, Amit Shah rose to answer that question.
43:41He agreed on the first count and the second count he said that this was a way to push away
43:47women's reservation and we can never agree to delink, to in fact link delimitation with census as of now.
43:54Because that's not feasible. And that was the breaking point. We knew it from then that the voting is good.
44:26So, the opposition, of course, is very important.
44:30It's being pressed with its floor coordination and breaking news is coming in.
44:33And I want Mossmi and Gautam to weigh in on this Mossmi.
44:37Sources are telling India today that Rahul Gandhi has reached out to the Trimul Congress.
44:41He's spoken to Abhishek Banerjee.
44:43Akhilesh Yadav spoke to Mamta Banerjee.
44:46Malik Arjun Kharge spoke to Derek O'Brien.
44:48And this would indicate that this wouldn't have happened had the Congress party, TNC, Samajwadi Party, the opposition, had they
44:54not been on the same page.
44:56What does this mean for opposition unity moving ahead from this point, Mossmi?
45:02Gaurav, interesting turn of events, you know, and this comes right in the midst of elections.
45:07Rahul Gandhi, just a few days back, went to Bengal and called the entire TNC a syndicate gang.
45:16So, this is the boon that the government, perhaps, opposition would think, has handed over to the opposition.
45:22M.K. Stalin's entire campaign is picked up in Tamil Nadu.
45:27In Bengal, the bonhomie between the ice that was frozen between TNC and Congress, this bill has managed to defrost
45:35that.
45:36And Akhilesh Yadav is playing in tandem with Rahul Gandhi.
45:40So, right before the UP elections are up on the sleeves next year.
45:45So, this is like a political slugfest now.
45:48Of course, the government will not take it lying down.
45:51We've heard it from the Prime Minister.
45:53They are going to take it to the streets.
45:55Already, women MPs were protesting.
45:57Okay.
45:57And it was noteworthy that they had banners already right there at the Makhadwal.
46:03So, perhaps, the government preempted that this bill was not up for passage.
46:08So, stay with me.
46:09Let me bring in Rahul Gautam for more on this.
46:12Rahul, there was a crucial NDA meet that was happening immediately after the floor test.
46:18What is… and I believe Amit Shah is steering that meeting.
46:20What more do we know?
46:21What is the BJP and the NDA strategy?
46:25Well, the idea is to deal with the situation which is now unfolding in the aftermath of,
46:30you know, bills getting defeated on the floor of the House.
46:32See, we have to understand now that there's going to be a battle of narrative.
46:37On one hand, you would see, you know, BJP and NDA leaders trying to create this narrative
46:41that what happened today inside the parliament was actually an anti-women move
46:46that was taken by the opposition camp.
46:48On the other hand, you would see opposition members, you know,
46:51going out and telling people that what essentially the government was trying to do
46:55was to politically weaken southern states, was to politically weaken STST,
47:01you know, OBC communities.
47:02They were not… they were denying quota within sub-quota.
47:04So, you would see, you know, a lot of narratives being played around,
47:08you know, around this voting that happened today.
47:12Also, you know, as we saw the visuals also, you had women MPs protesting inside the House.
47:19They were saying that we're going to go to our constituencies,
47:21going to tell people that how it was India bloc that actually blocked the passage of,
47:26you know, Nari Shakti Vandal bill.
47:29Then you had, you know, Imran Patapgadi and many other Congress leaders,
47:32opposition leaders saying that the government from the very beginning,
47:35from the very onset government knew that this bill is going to see,
47:39you know, the dust and it's not going to be…
47:42But still, they were insisting, they were trying to push, you know, these bills
47:45only to create a narrative that the opposition is anti-women,
47:50only to take advantage in the name of…
47:52Is that narrative, Mossmi, a cause for concern?
47:55And you've travelled across the poll-bound states.
48:00Women voters, extremely crucial in elections, as we've seen in several elections,
48:05them coming out and voting in large numbers and almost in bloc.
48:09Would that be a cause for concern, let's say, for the TMC in Bengal,
48:12for the DMK in Tamil Nadu?
48:16Gaurav, we'll have to wait and see.
48:18But look at the narrative that the TMC could actually build up.
48:21As far as women's reservation is concerned,
48:24TMC already has the maximum number of MPs,
48:30in the women MPs in the Lok Sabha.
48:32They already have reservation for women as far as assembly seats are concerned.
48:38And they have 50% reservation in the panchayats, not 30%, 33%.
48:43So they already are playing the women card to the best,
48:47Mamta Banadi, the woman icon.
48:49So there, you know, I rested there.
48:51But in Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian identity, the pride of the South,
48:57the battle for survival has been drummed up a lot.
49:01So clearly with NK Stalin burning the bill in public,
49:05calling out to Rahul Gandhi, calling him and saying,
49:07we are there to support all the MPs,
49:11who were wearing black colour attire yesterday and today.
49:15And they were present in full strength.
49:18Despite the elections happening in Tamil Nadu,
49:21it was 100% and 100% attendance by the DMK,
49:26100% and 100% attendance by the Samadwadi party.
49:30And that's a very interesting point to bring out.
49:32And let me bring in Rahul Gautam for that.
49:34These numbers tell a very interesting story, Rahul.
49:37Of the 530 in parliament, 540 in parliament at that point of time, 298.
49:45NDA stock was together.
49:47The opposition also had their numbers absolutely in order.
49:52Final numbers, there was initially some talk about zero abstain.
49:56Then subsequently it was said that it's being recounted.
49:59Some may have abstained.
50:00But the opposition unity is one big takeaway from here, isn't it?
50:05Well, Gaurav, you know, this happened possibly
50:07because of the, you know, homework that was done
50:10by some of the opposition leaders,
50:12namely Kakoli Ghosh, Manikam Tagore, Haipi Heidan.
50:14All these leaders were deployed by the respective parties
50:18to ensure that the flock remains together
50:20and the number they're going to put up on the notice board
50:22once the voting is going to conclude, you know,
50:25remains in the favour of opposition bloc.
50:27And that's what happened, you know.
50:29The real numbers of opposition camp was around 240
50:32and they've been successfully pulled around 230.
50:35230, you know, votes.
50:37So clearly, in a way, you know, they've been fairly successful
50:40in keeping the flock together
50:41and they've been able to give out this message.
50:44Rahul, stay with me for a moment, Mosby.
50:45Stay with me for a moment.
50:46We're getting the first reaction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
50:49Amit Shah has just taken to social media platform X to say
50:53a truly bizarre scene unfolded in the Lok Sabha today.
50:57The Congress, the TMC, the DMK and the Samajwadi Party
51:02prevented the passage of the crucial constitutional amendment bill
51:07required for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,
51:11the Women's Reservation Act.
51:13To defeat a bill aimed at granting 33% reservation to women
51:18and to subsequently celebrate and raise slogans in jubilation over its failure
51:24is truly reprehensible and defies imagination.
51:29Consequently, the women of this country will now be denied 33% reservation
51:35not just in Lok Sabha but also in state legislative assemblies,
51:40a right that was truly theirs.
51:43This is not the first time the Congress and its allies have acted in this manner.
51:48They have done so repeatedly.
51:51This mindset of theirs serves neither the interests of women nor those of the nation.
51:58I wish to warn them that this insult to Nari Shakti of women's power will not end here.
52:06Its repercussions will be far-reaching.
52:09The opposition will have to face the wrath of women
52:12not merely in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections
52:15but at every level in every election and in every corner of the country.
52:21Very, very strong words coming in from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
52:26And perhaps was this then the strategy to take it to the people of this country?
52:32And as Amit Shah recounted in Parliament the long list, long history
52:37of how this bill was dealt with in the past and in past governments.
52:43There's more breaking news coming in.
52:44Before I come back to our reporters, there's more breaking news coming in.
52:48Rahul Gandhi, some of what he had said in Parliament,
52:51certain words have been expunged.
52:54Words like magician.
52:56Rahul Gandhi used the word magician.
53:00And another time when he said Prime Minister,
53:02these words stand expunged.
53:06In fact, there were protests, not just by the Treasury benches,
53:10the Union Home Minister, he reacted to this.
53:13Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, he reacted to it.
53:17The Speaker himself, Om Birla responded.
53:20But I quickly want to bring in Rahul Gautam once again on this.
53:23Rahul, the Home Minister, he says there will be consequences.
53:28There will be consequences for the opposition,
53:31not just for the Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC,
53:33not just in 2029, but even subsequently.
53:37So it's that the BJP strategy.
53:39Take it to the electorate.
53:41Tell the Adhi Abadi, these were the people, according to him,
53:44that blocked the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhem.
53:48Gaurav, from now onwards, you'll frequently hear such statements
53:52from BJP and NDA leaders that what happened today,
53:55it happened at the behest of parties like Congress,
54:00Samajwadi Party, TMC, DMK,
54:02and they are essentially anti-women parties.
54:06So obviously this is going to happen at least for some coming days,
54:11given the fact that it has become a major, major flashpoint
54:14between BJP and opposition rank.
54:16And that's why you quoted the statement of Amisha, Home Minister,
54:21and obviously the other leaders also of the NDA,
54:25speaking on the same lines.
54:26But we have to really see how opposition is responding to these allegations.
54:30They are saying that this was never a women reservation bill.
54:35From the very onset, it was actually a delimitation bill,
54:38which was brought in under the disguise of women reservation bill,
54:41because women reservation bill has already been passed by the parliament
54:44back in 2023, which we had supported.
54:47So therefore you are only bringing this bill only to take political advantage from it,
54:53only to change the political landscape of the country,
54:56only to politically weaken the southern states where BJP is weak.
55:01So obviously, you know, it's a battle of narratives, of optics.
55:06We have seen the poster that has been tweeted out by Mr. M.K. Stalin,
55:12wherein he is burning the copy of delimitation bill.
55:16He had earlier actually, if you remember,
55:17he had actually burned some of the copies of delimitation bill back in Chennai.
55:22So obviously, this would be played out very loudly in coming days,
55:25as we would inch forward in a morning day.
55:26That's very interesting.
55:27In fact, as the home minister concluded,
55:30he actually went back to stories from the Ramayana,
55:34where he said in this country, even that little squirrel,
55:38that played a role in the construction of the Shri Ram Setu,
55:42that squirrel is worshipped even today.
55:44And even Tadaka, the demon princess or the demon,
55:49who put bones in the Havankund and stopped that yagya,
55:55even Tadaka is remembered today.
55:57Clearly implying it's the opposition that's being the Tadaka or the demon
56:02that's stopping this yagya of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
56:07How this pans out in elections,
56:09that's the story that we'll track very closely.
56:12Rahul and Mosmee, many thanks for joining me.
56:15That is all I have for you on India First this evening.
56:18It's a disappointing day, perhaps,
56:20for the women who were hoping to get 33% reservation in 2029 and beyond.
56:26But then the politics on this is bound to escalate
56:29and the thermonuclear politics will remain our top focus story.
Comments