BJP MPs Raksha Khadse and Bansuri Swaraj were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday evening after leading a protest march to Rahul Gandhi’s residence in Delhi, a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha.
The bill, which sought to reserve 33 percent of seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women and increase the Lok Sabha strength from 543 to 850 seats based on the 2011 Census, received 298 votes in favor and 230 against, falling short of the required 352-vote two-thirds majority.
The defeat triggered immediate protests from BJP leaders, including Hema Malini, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Manju Sharma, and Vatsalya Gupta, who marched toward Gandhi’s residence, burned his effigy, and accused the Opposition of betraying women’s rights.
Smriti Irani, addressing a press conference, accused the Congress and its allies of celebrating the bill’s defeat despite decades of advocating for women’s political representation, calling it a “feudal mindset” that treats constitutional rights as charity rather than entitlement.
The Congress, through its leaders, defended the vote as a constitutional necessity, arguing that the delimitation exercise tied to the bill would weaken southern states’ representation in Parliament by increasing Lok Sabha seats disproportionately to benefit northern states.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, described the bill’s defeat as a victory for constitutional principles, stating the government used an “unconstitutional trick in the name of women to break the Constitution” and that “INDIA has stopped it.”
Proceedings in both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die within minutes of reconvening on Saturday, marking a rare legislative setback for the ruling alliance after a stormy session the previous day.
The BJP framed the Opposition’s stance as anti-women, with Irani claiming the Congress “smiled smugly” and “thumped desks” while denying rights to women who had struggled for decades in politics.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Opposition of deceiving 700 million women and warned that “the mother power will demand an account” in upcoming elections, intensifying the political rhetoric ahead of the 2029 polls when the reservation was slated to take effect.
The protest and detention underscore a deepening divide between the ruling NDA and the INDIA bloc, not just over policy but over competing narratives of who truly represents women’s interests in Indian democracy.
Why did the Opposition oppose the women’s reservation bill if they support the principle of reservation?
The Opposition, led by the Congress, stated they support women’s reservation in principle but objected to the delimitation exercise tied to the bill, which they argue would increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 based on the 2011 Census and thereby weaken the representation of southern states in Parliament.
What specific actions did BJP leaders take during the protest that led to the detention of two MPs?
BJP leaders, including Hema Malini, Bansuri Swaraj, and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, led a march toward Rahul Gandhi’s residence, burned his effigy, raised slogans, and held placards accusing the Opposition of betraying women, after which Swaraj and Union Minister Raksha Khadse were detained by Delhi Police.
