Itanagar, Apr 19: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Arunachal Pradesh unit, on Sunday launched a strong attack on opposition parties over the failure of the 33% Women’s Reservation Bill to pass in Parliament, alleging that it was blocked due to lack of support from the Congress and its alliance partners.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters here, Women & Child Development Minister Dasanglu Pul, along with Itanagar Mayor Likha Nari Tadar, BJP Mahila Morcha State President Nabam Yahi Tad, and BJP’s State Vice President Taying Shakuntala, said the developments in Parliament on April 16 and 17 marked a “missed historic opportunity” to ensure greater participation of women in policy-making.
She alleged that opposition parties including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC and DMK opposed key legislations such as the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Delimitation Bill and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, ultimately preventing the Women’s Reservation Bill from securing the required two-thirds majority.
Criticising the opposition’s stand, Pul termed it “anti-women and undemocratic,” stating that such actions have denied women their rightful share in governance. She said the parliamentary debate reflected an important moment to strengthen democratic institutions and promote inclusive representation, but the outcome exposed what she described as a lack of commitment towards women’s empowerment among opposition parties.
“The failure of the Bill reflects not just a legislative setback but also a moral failure of the opposition in the eyes of millions of women across the nation,” she said.
BJP leaders further accused the opposition alliance of repeatedly obstructing progressive measures, alleging that political excuses and delay tactics were used to stall reforms aimed at empowering women.
Highlighting the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party reiterated his position that women’s participation in policymaking is a fundamental right and not a privilege. The leaders warned that those who opposed the Bill could face backlash from women voters in future elections.
Referring to statements made by Home Minister Amit Shah during the parliamentary debate, the BJP leaders said delimitation would not harm any state but instead ensure balanced and proportional representation across states.
Pul also criticised demands for religion-based reservation within the proposed quota, terming them unconstitutional and a diversion from the core objective of women’s empowerment. She emphasised that delimitation remains a constitutional necessity to uphold the principle of “one person, one vote, one value,” and that any delay in its implementation would affect the rollout of women’s reservation.
Reaffirming its commitment, the BJP Arunachal Pradesh unit stated that greater participation of women in legislative bodies would benefit society, particularly women and children, and asserted that the party will continue to advocate for women’s rights and representation in governance.
Concluding the presser, Pul expressed confidence that women voters across the country would respond decisively in the future and ensure that their constitutional rights are upheld.