00:00Good evening, you're watching NewsTrack with me.
00:02Maria Shaquille History reminds us that those in power have often failed women
00:06and today many would argue Parliament has done the same.
00:10The Nari Shakti Bill has been defeated.
00:13Despite the Prime Minister's appeal and the Home Minister's push,
00:16the government well fell short of the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment.
00:21Out of 489 members present and voting, 298 voted in favour, while 211 voted against.
00:30Not a single abstention. A clear, decisive outcome.
00:35The Modi government has hit back strongly, calling the opposition's stance an insult to Nari Shakti
00:41and warning that this moment will echo politically not just in 2029, but in every election to come.
00:48But the opposition is equally firm.
00:51It calls this a defence of the constitution, not rejection of the women's empowerment.
00:57Their argument is simple.
00:59The bill, especially with the proposed changes around delimitation,
01:03would have altered India's political balance in ways that demanded deeper scrutiny.
01:09And that's where the core issue lies.
01:12The delay in delimitation means India may rely on 2011 census data even in 2029.
01:18That raises serious concerns.
01:22Fast-growing regions could remain underrepresented, while others retain more seats than their current population justifies.
01:31Yet it avoids an immediate north-south political flashpoint.
01:36But it also postpones a fundamental question.
01:39Can a democracy function fairly on outdated numbers?
01:43Meanwhile, the larger truth remains uncomfortable.
01:46Even after decades of dialogue and debate, women's representation in parliament continues to lag.
01:53Another government, another bill, another setback.
01:55So what happens now?
01:56Will this become a political weapon, with the ruling side framing it as a betrayal of women?
02:04Chances are high, as the BJP plans to launch a nationwide stir from tomorrow.
02:10Will the opposition succeed in shaping the narrative as a defence of constitutional balance?
02:14That is possible too, as it can use the north-south delimitation divide to amplify its pitch.
02:22And most importantly, where does this leave women's political representation in India?
02:27Is this a missed opportunity?
02:29Is this about empowerment or electoral calculation?
02:33And when will India finally move from promise to participation for half of its population?
02:40Before I bring in those who are present in parliament today, here's what happened today.
10:09is nearly same which at present was and no Southern state was having any decrease
10:15in their percentage of participation in the Parliament.
10:18Okay.
10:19So what happens now?
10:20What happens now and help us understand what happens to other two bills.
10:25If the Constitution amendment bill has been defeated.
10:28What is the fate of other two bills?
10:30There were three bills which were tabled.
10:32Well, both bills are individually related.
10:35We wanted 33% women's election.
10:38We also wanted that the seating MPs should not have any apprehension
10:42that they will not be a part of parliament in future.
10:45And that was one of the reasons why we bought it together.
10:51We wanted to put it together.
10:53And India needs to increase its seats.
10:56There's no doubt about it.
10:58We face a lot of problems.
10:59It's very difficult for us also.
11:01Though my constituency is only of 80 lakhs.
11:03Still visiting 2,000 villages in five years is a tough job.
11:09It's very difficult to maintain.
11:12There's nothing wrong in having 816 seats.
11:16There would have been more representations in the parliament.
11:19There would have been more people's voice in parliament.
11:24What's wrong in it?
11:25I really failed to understand.
11:26It was more or less they made it a prestige issue
11:30that because Narendra Modi is bringing this bill,
11:33we have to oppose this bill.
11:35Otherwise, there was no other reason why this bill would have been failed.
11:40Because this, in the UPA regime, twice this bill has come.
11:44We always supported it.
11:47It was other, their allies who opposed and they didn't allow even to be built,
11:52to be tabled in the parliament.
11:54Okay.
11:54Now, we were cooperating in each and every time.
11:57I don't know why they thought that this is not the right time.
12:01But the problem is that if we would not have done in this another one or two or three months,
12:07the delimitation commission has to move in all 543 constituencies.
12:11Now, if you bring in September or October,
12:15now it's possible for them to move around in 543 constituencies.
12:19But the monsoon session will be in June, July.
12:22It will be in June, July.
12:24See, their agenda was that this bill should not be a part in 2029.
12:30And that was the reason why they tried to stop this bill.
12:34Because they wanted that, BJP has promised in 2029,
12:39we will not allow it to happen in 2029 and then we will gain sympathy votes for women.
12:45But today, they failed miserably.
12:47And the women of India really feels, whatever the reason is,
12:53it would have been beneficial to everyone.
12:56It would have been beneficial to women participation and people of India.
13:02All right, Sanjay Jaiswal, I appreciate your time.
13:04Joining me now is DMK MP Aarun Nehru.
13:09Mr. Nehru, I appreciate your time.
13:10Home Minister Amit Shah says that your party, that is the DMK and other parties,
13:14including the Congress, the TMC, Samajwadi Party,
13:17did not allow the passage, which was so essential because,
13:22and then you are celebrating it, the fall of this bill.
13:26And raising victory cries over, it is truly reprehensible and beyond imagination.
13:34What do you have to say?
13:35Aarun.
13:37Madam, first of all, the Honourable Home Minister,
13:40the understanding of the situation itself is wrong.
13:43Let me also put on record that the BJP government,
13:47when BJP, when they were in the opposition,
13:49have defeated Women's Reservation Bill by about six times in the past.
13:54So, they have no local standard to talk about defeat in the Women's Reservation Bill
13:59at this current point.
14:00That being said, the opposition was very clear.
14:04They also wanted Women's Reservation, even with the current 543 members.
14:09They were ready.
14:10Time and again, all members of the opposition have,
14:14even now, they had mentioned that it was clearly doable,
14:20even with the current format.
14:21The thing that they tried to do was to attach delimitation
14:25and put the women in front of a very complex issue
14:28and try to pass both.
14:30So, we were not okay with delimitation as a very complex issue
14:34and, you know, Women's Reservation Bill on top of it.
14:38The combination and the trying to do something else
14:40in the name of Women's Reservation was not acceptable to us.
14:43But Arun, you are being accused, I mean, your party and the entire India bloc
14:48is being accused of being anti-women
14:49and that the opposition, the government says,
14:52will have to face the wrath of women in 2029.
15:00Madam, first of all, even before Women's Reservation,
15:02I think empowering, you know, women through the schemes
15:06that BJP announced during elections,
15:08continuing them itself, it will be a big relief for them
15:11rather than, you know, doing a convoluted Women's Reservation Bill
15:15in the face of it and doing nothing.
15:16You know, what were they doing from 2023
15:18when the parliament passed a Women's Reservation Bill?
15:21Why were they not able to do it?
15:23So, all this is for purely politics and not actually Women's Reservation.
15:26Okay, so tell me, what really is the fate of Women's Reservation then?
15:34And even now,
15:36even now, LOP, Honorable LOP would make it very clear
15:39that all of us will unanimously support 33% reservation
15:45even in the current format itself without any politics.
15:48He had mentioned it so many times
15:50but the government was not willing to listen
15:51and so it shows that the actual intention of the government
15:56was not Women's Reservation but delimitation.
16:00One view can be that despite all assurances on the floor of the House,
16:04you were not ready to listen.
16:05That's what the government and the BJP is saying.
16:08You were still not convinced.
16:13Madam, we have tried to work with the government
16:16on getting a consensus.
16:17We tried to talk with them, understand them
16:20but nothing was forthcoming.
16:21They said, you know, this is the package
16:23and they even went in as far as relaxing Rule 66
16:26which, you know, made us,
16:28it was one vote for everything,
16:30all the three bills put together
16:31which showed that they were desperate to pass this
16:34without even any, you know, listening to our requirements.
16:37My last question is
16:39if you are painted as anti-women
16:42it can cost you elections.
16:44Has that been calculated?
16:49Madam, women are very sensitive and knowledgeable.
16:52They know the truth behind this
16:54and they will very clearly know
16:55that this is politics and not women's reservation.
16:57Arun, I really appreciate your time.
16:59I know you're heading straight to Tamil Nadu
17:02because the elections will be held in Tamil Nadu
17:05in one phase on 23rd.
17:07Joining me now is Member of Parliament of the TDP
17:10Krishna Prasad Tenetti.
17:12Thank you so much Krishnaji for joining us.
17:14Do you think government got it wrong?
17:16You yourself have expressed concerns about delimitation.
17:20All southern states had concerns.
17:22Do you think the government should have
17:25not linked it with delimitation?
17:30I would say that
17:32because they linked right
17:35and then there are two issues
17:37that were going around.
17:38One is the increase of the total number of seats
17:42and the second is the reservation to women.
17:46So one can follow the other
17:49and the basic idea is to give reservation to women.
17:53That's the basic idea.
17:55And the secondary idea is to basically,
17:57how do we increase that?
17:59How do you make it one third?
18:00So if the existing strength is 543
18:05and if you make 150% of that,
18:08that is add 50%,
18:09it will become 850.
18:11Then what basically boils down to
18:14is giving 250 seats to women
18:45in the Loksha.
18:47different three-tier system
18:49or the four-tier system
18:50depending upon which state
18:52we are talking about.
18:53There are so many leaders
18:54from the women leaders
18:56who are already into
19:00the theater of political performance.
19:03They are doing a fantastic job.
19:05They have a lot of aspirations.
19:07So they should be given
19:09good opportunities
19:10to climb up,
19:12to grow in stature
19:14and come to the Loksha
19:16and the legislative assemblies
19:18and then participate in the governance.
19:22That is the whole idea.
19:23So unfortunately,
19:24this idea was defeated by Congress
19:26and other opposition parties.
19:28We are unhappy about this.
19:31I think the women of India,
19:33they deserve this representation
19:36and somehow this has been denied.
19:38Yes, I would agree
19:39that women certainly
19:40deserve representation.
19:43But, Krishnam Prasadji,
19:45one view would be
19:46that you knew
19:47that you did not have
19:48the numbers which are required
19:50for a Constitution Amendment Bill.
19:52Despite knowing your weakness,
19:55you had gone ahead
19:56and called a special session
19:58of Parliament.
19:59What was the need
20:00for a special session
20:00of Parliament?
20:01Is the point that has been asked
20:02repeatedly by opposition?
20:07I don't think
20:08in such a noble cause
20:12or like women representation,
20:16we should talk about
20:17we versus you
20:19and you versus we.
20:20No, I don't think.
20:21All of us should have
20:23stood together
20:24and passed the bill
20:26and given the opportunity
20:27for the women
20:28to participate
20:30in the political governance
20:31at the highest level.
20:32So, I don't think
20:33it is a question
20:34of numbers.
20:35It should have been
20:37unanimous.
20:38That is my expectation.
20:39Okay, so tell me
20:40what happens now, sir?
20:42What is NDA's calculation
20:44as to what will happen now
20:46after the bill was defeated?
20:53Let us see
20:54and tomorrow also
20:55we are having
20:56the session.
20:59So, tomorrow
21:00whether there will be
21:02any discussion
21:03in some other format,
21:05we should look at that also
21:07and we have also seen
21:09one notification
21:10that has come yesterday
21:12of bringing
21:13the effective date
21:15of the Amendment Act
21:17of 2023
21:19to 16th April 2026.
21:22So, we need to now
21:23understand
21:24the implication of that
21:26and is there anything
21:28further we need to do
21:30so that we can give
21:31that opportunity
21:32to women
21:33in as many combinations
21:36and permutations
21:37as possible.
21:39All right.
21:40Thank you so much
21:40for joining us
21:41and sharing your thoughts.
21:43Remember,
21:43this was a three-day session
21:46which was called
21:46for a special session
21:48with the intent
21:50of ensuring the passage
21:51of this Constitutional Amendment Bill
21:53and two other bills
21:54which are linked.
21:55Now, what happens?
21:56Well, the opposition
21:57is claiming victory
21:58that they have managed
21:59to put across
22:02what they say
22:03was an unconstitutional agenda
22:05behind this
22:06Women's Reservation Bill.
22:08Listen in to all
22:09these reactions
22:09thanks so much
22:10for watching.
22:11and then,
22:30we'll see you next time.
22:38We'll see you next time.
22:49foreign
22:55foreign
23:11We have seen some of the people in the Uppaksh.
23:13It is a great thing.
23:16It is a good thing.
23:19We are not here.
23:25We are here.
23:26We are here.
23:27We are here.
23:29We are here.
23:31We are here.
23:35Now I will invite you to try and begin this tournament.
23:35Not yet, but to take a chance.
23:46This tournament is not only for you.
23:50It is the tournament.
23:53You can call him Temunada-Delia.
24:00Thank you very much.
24:30Thank you very much.
24:56Thank you very much.
25:09Thank you very much.
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