Congress, DMK, TMC, SP 'crushed women's dreams', says Modi
Dynastic parties don't want women to progress, says PM in address to nation; Congress says he should apologise for trying to push unfair delimitation via Nari Shakti
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (April 18) said opposition parties had "mercilessly crushed" the dreams of women by not allowing the women's reservation bill to pass in Parliament despite the government's best efforts.
Modi's address to the nation came a day after a Constitution Amendment Bill, part of the delimitation package, which was linked to women's reservation in legislatures, was defeated in the Lok Sabha.
The self-serving politics of parties like the Congress, the DMK, the TMC, and the Samajwadi Party has come at the expense of the nation’s women, said Modi, adding that they had foiled efforts to grant 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures.
Seeks forgiveness
"I seek forgiveness from all women of the country," said Modi in his speech. Opposition parties that opposed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament were taking women's power for granted, he added.
"Today, every citizen of India is witnessing how the march of India's women has been halted. The dreams of the country's women have been mercilessly crushed, and despite our utmost efforts, we could not succeed," he said.
Modi said women had seen how parties like the Congress, the TMC and the DMK "celebrated their selfish politics" against women's empowerment.
"The opposition has committed a sin by opposing women's reservation, and they will surely be punished for this. Opposition parties have insulted our Constitution by defeating the bill," he said.
Congress slams address
Responding to the PM's address, the Congress called it 'partisan'. "A sitting Prime Minister’s address to the nation has a sanctity to it. It is meant to be a non-partisan address intended to build national resolve and confidence," said senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
"This pathetic partisan and polemical attack – a Distress Address rather than a National Address - would have been more appropriate in a Press Conference," he tweeted. "The Prime Minister has apologized for failing to see his Constitution amendment bill through the Lok Sabha. What he should have apologized for is his shameless, deceitful attempts to push through a devious delimitation proposal in the name of women."