Mallikarjun Kharge Targets PM Modi: “59 Mentions Of Congress, Barely A Word On Women”

The article reports on the defeat of the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill proposing 33 percent women’s representation, and the ensuing political clash. It covers opposition criticism of Modi’s national address, concerns about neutrality, and calls for a fresh bill independent of delimitation changes, alongside implications for women’s political empowerment.

A fierce political clash unfolds after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national broadcast on the women’s reservation bill defeat, as Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh and Manish Tewari accuse the government of spreading misinformation, misusing an official communication and turning a constitutional setback in the Lok Sabha into a partisan attack on Opposition parties.

The dispute centres on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposed 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures but failed to secure the required two-thirds support in the Lok Sabha after detailed debate. The government called the proposal a historic step for women’s empowerment, while Congress leaders claimed it was framed and presented in a political manner.

Opposition response to PM Narendra Modi over women's reservation bill

According to the Opposition, the Prime Minister’s address, delivered after what they termed a “legislative humiliation in the Lok Sabha”, abandoned the usual neutrality expected from such speeches. Jairam Ramesh said the broadcast became a "Congress-abuse address" aimed at blaming parties that opposed the bill. He argued that this narrative tried to shift attention away from the government’s own handling of the legislation.

Ramesh further questioned the tone and purpose of the speech, stressing that national broadcasts should unite the country. He said, "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. This was a distress address rather than a national address." Ramesh also argued that women’s representation could be increased without additional delays.

Mallikarjun Kharge delivered one of the sharpest critiques, claiming the Prime Minister’s remarks exposed altered priorities. He said, "Modi ji mentioned Congress 59 times and women barely few times. That tells the country everything about his priorities. Women are not the BJP's priority. Congress is." Kharge alleged that this showed more focus on attacking rivals than on explaining the bill’s defeat.

Kharge alleged misuse of the official platform and focused on the speech’s content. He said, "A desperate and frustrated PM Narendra Modi with nothing meaningful to show for the last 12 years turned an official address to the nation into a political speech full of mudslinging and outright lies." Kharge argued that instead of clarifying steps for women’s reservation, the address mainly targeted Opposition parties.

Debate on PM Narendra Modi speech and women's reservation bill strategy

Kharge also highlighted the atmosphere inside Parliament during the vote, saying that millions of women across India followed the developments. Kharge said he felt deep sorrow when, after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was rejected, "family-led parties like Congress, DMK, TMC and Samajwadi Party were accused of celebrating while women's rights were taken away." He said the response inside the House insulted women watching outside.

Elaborating on that moment, Kharge said, "What happened was not just desk thumping, it was an attack on women's self-respect and self-esteem." He added that such gestures could influence how women view the political process. Kharge further said, "Women may forget many things, but they never forget their insult." He warned that this perception could carry political consequences in future elections.

Jairam Ramesh also challenged the government’s attempt to connect women’s reservation with delimitation exercises. He argued that linking the women’s quota to future constituency reorganisation was misleading, as earlier efforts had moved ahead without such conditions. Ramesh recalled Congress support for the Rajya Sabha’s 2010 passage of a women’s reservation measure and backing for a similar initiative in 2023.

Ramesh urged the Prime Minister to act within the current framework of the Lok Sabha. He said there was no legal barrier preventing immediate implementation of women’s reservation. Ramesh therefore challenged the government to introduce a fresh bill that would provide 33 per cent seats for women without waiting for any delimitation-related changes or further procedural delays.

Manish Tewari raised similar concerns about the purpose and tone of the national address, alleging that the broadcast "violated the spirit of a national communication". He said it was "unfortunate and regrettable" that a platform meant for the entire nation was used to criticise Opposition parties after the women’s reservation bill defeat. Tewari argued that the address deepened political fault lines instead of building consensus.

Tewari also claimed that the measure rejected in the Lok Sabha went beyond a simple empowerment proposal. According to Tewari, what collapsed was a broader political arrangement that, in his view, was closely tied to delimitation plans. He suggested that the government’s approach folded women’s representation into a larger exercise affecting constituencies, adding complexity to a core question of gender representation.

The confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress has therefore moved beyond the immediate failure of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill. With Kharge, Ramesh and Tewari leading the Opposition’s criticism, the women’s reservation bill has become the centre of a wider dispute over how national broadcasts should be used, how quickly women’s representation should rise and how delimitation should be handled in Parliament.