BJP conspires to abolish reservation through constitutional amendment
CM demands Modi and BJP to prove sincerity on women quota by implementing 33 per cent reservation in 2027 UP elections
Ready to hold talks with Southern stat CMs – Stalin, Siddaramaiah, Pinarai Vijayan , Chandrababu Naidu and Puducherry CM Rangaswamy
Also seek support of INDIA alliance
Congress will extend support if the women reservation bill is introduced tomorrow
The CM opposes the delimitation on a pro-rata basis which creates disparities among North and Southern states
Demands an all party meeting and consultations on delimitation
Seek views of all state governments and people’s opinion in all Lok Sabha segments before finalizing the delimitation
CM takes a dig at PM and Tejasvi Surya over their comments against the formation of Telangana state
Union minister Kishan Reddy and MP Lakshman mortgaged Telangana for posts
Delhi, April 18: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy blasted the BJP over the defeat of the Women reservation bill in the Lok Sabha. The Chief minister accused the union government of conspiring to abolish reservation for all citing the BJP’s slogan of ‘Char Sau Paar’* (crossing the 400-seat mark) to amend the constitution against the quota for all sections during 2024 general elections.
Demanding Prime minister Narendra Modi to prove sincerity on women quota, the CM proposed to draft a new legislation for women’s reservations and presented it before Parliament by Monday. The bill should ensure that one-third of the current 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, as well as one-third of the seats in state legislative assemblies, are reserved for women. If such a bill were introduced, the chief minister said the INDIA alliance would extend their support to it like in 2023. The chief minister suggested that the bill could be passed on Monday and the legislation implemented starting Tuesday itself.
CM Revanth Reddy noted that the Election Commission has already collected 2011 census data and other relevant information. The CM pointed out that a delimitation exercise was conducted in 2009, and based on those figures, it is possible to implement a 33 percent reservation for women by August 15, 2026. With these reservations in place, the policy could be implemented in the 2027 elections held in Uttar Pradesh from where the Prime Minister was representing.
The CM also announced that he is ready to take the initiative of holding discussions with the Chief Ministers of the southern states- Stalin, Pinarayi Vijayan, Siddaramaiah, Chandrababu Naidu, and Puducherry CM Rangasamy and garner their support to the women’s bill. The Chief minister stressed that the 2023 women reservation bill should be implemented with just a minor modification and challenged the BJP and PM Modi to prove their sincerity now. The CM recounted that Amit Shah had claimed they could modify the bill if granted just one hour. However, pointing out that time was available until Monday, he asserted that if the BJP were to introduce the Women’s Reservation Bill based on the current 543 seats, they would ensure its passage as early as Tuesday.
Expressing his gratitude to all the leaders who played a role in ensuring the defeat of the bills, the Chief Minister said that the Congress party with the support of other opposition parties has once again thwarted the BJP’s attempt to amend the Constitution and abolish reservations under the guise of bills concerning women’s reservations, constituency delimitation, and the expansion of constituencies. The failure of passing the bills was not merely a defeat for the ruling party at the Centre, but also a reflection of the BJP’s lack of sincerity. The Constitutional Amendment Bill failed precisely because Prime Minister Narendra Modi lacked genuine commitment, the chief minister alleged. The CM challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demonstrate his sincerity and to draft the bills in a proper manner. BJP suffered a defeat in Parliament because of Modi’s arrogance, the chief minister charged.
Referring to the delimitation of constituencies, CM Revanth Reddy recommended the centre to convene an all-party meeting and address the delimitation of constituencies. Consultations with experts, views of every state government and public opinion should be sought in every Lok Sabha constituency and take a decision on the delimitation. The CM was opposed to the delimitation of the constituencies based on pro – rata basis and asserted that the number of seats in the Legislative Assemblies could be increased in consultation with the respective states. The delimitation proposal introduced by the BJP would politically undermine the Southern states, Northeastern states, and smaller states. It was a move that would ultimately weaken both the nation and its democracy. The CM pointed out that the Southern states implemented family planning policies in accordance with the Central Government’s directives, resulting in a decline in population within those states. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy questioned the centre for penalizing the Southern states which had acted with loyalty and obedience toward the nation.
The Chief Minister lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the PM has repeatedly displayed animosity towards the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and likened it to “killing the mother to save the child”. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s comments were uncalled for. The CM also criticized Union Minister Kishan Reddy and MP Laxman, alleging that they are attempting to get Modi’s attention to secure promotions, rather than paying any heed to public opinion. The Chief Minister further questioned Kishan Reddy’s approach and why the latter did not offer an alternative solution instead of resorting to counter-attacks.
Further, CM Revanth Reddy criticized Modi and the BJP accusing them of engaging in a smear campaign against Congress party. Since the people of the country would not accept an amendment to the Constitution, Modi and the BJP—anticipating that Congress might plan to implement women’s reservations—sought to discredit them by claiming that the Congress party had obstructed such efforts. The protests were orchestrated as part of the strategy to defame the opposition, the CM alleged that the BJP’s true agenda is to alter the Constitution and abolish reservations altogether and the 1.4 billion citizens of the country witnessed this conduct unfold on the floor of Parliament.
CM Revanth Reddy asserted that no one could question the Congress party’s sincerity regarding women’s reservations. While women in the United States—a global superpower—had to struggle for 150 years to secure the right to vote, the Congress party holds the distinction of granting women the franchise immediately upon India’s independence and placing them on an equal footing with men. The Congress has appointed a female President and a female Prime Minister and also elevated women to key positions such as Speaker of the Lok Sabha, as well as Governors and Chief Ministers in various states.
The Chief Minister also highlighted that women were elected as Presidents of the Congress party even before independence. In the post-independence era, Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi served as the party’s Presidents. The CM noted that Rajiv Gandhi introduced a 33 percent reservation for women in local bodies and has resulted in women’s representation in local governance reaching 50 percent in several parts of the country today.
Since its inception in 1980, the BJP has had 15 different Presidents, yet not a single one of them has been a woman, the CM pointed out that leaders like Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi served as presidents two or three times, yet not a single woman was given the opportunity. The Chief Minister questioned how the BJP could criticize the Congress party regarding the issue of women’s reservations.
MPs Dr. Mallu Ravi, Suresh Shetkar, and Balram Naik, Government Whips Yennam Srinivas Reddy and Beerla Ailaiah; and MLAs Malreddy Ranga Reddy, B Manohar Reddy, T Megha Reddy were also present.