Varanasi (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), TMC and DMK on Tuesday for stalling the women’s reservation bill in Parliament and assured women that he will leave no stone unturned to ensure that their right to reservation in legislative bodies is implemented.
Addressing a women’s conference in his Lok Sabha constituency here in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said the plan to make India a developed nation is progressing smoothly and whenever he speaks of a “Viksit Bharat”, its strongest pillar is the women of the country.
“I have come to this programme to seek blessings from all women for the beginning of a maha yagya,” he said.
“As the parliamentarian from Kashi, as the Prime Minister of the country, I need your blessings to achieve a major goal in the national interest – implementing reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies,” he said.
Modi said just a few days ago, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) efforts in Parliament in this regard were unsuccessful due to parties like the SP and the Congress.
“I once again assure all my sisters that I will leave no stone unturned to ensure that your right to reservation is implemented,” he added.
The Prime Minister hit out at the SP, alleging that it was “difficult for daughters to come out of their houses” during the party’s rule in Uttar Pradesh.
He said “pariwarwadi” (dynastic) parties like the Congress, SP, Trinamool Congress and DMK have “betrayed women” once again.
“These pariwarwadi parties do not want daughters to reach the Assembly or the Lok Sabha. These parties have applied the brakes on women’s reservation for the last 40 years,” Modi said.
He said increasing women’s participation was also a key consideration behind the construction of the new Parliament building and the first major step taken there was to pass the women’s reservation law.
“For 40 years, this right of women remained pending. In 2023, we passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament,” Modi said.
He asserted that after a law is enacted, it must be implemented, adding that discussions and legislative measures were brought in Parliament recently to ensure an early implementation of the law on women’s reservation.
However, he accused parties like the Congress, SP, TMC and DMK of “betraying” women once again.
“These parties, driven by dynastic politics and appeasement, are afraid of women’s power,” he said, alleging that they do not want women leaders from the grassroots level to enter legislatures as it would challenge their control.
Modi said he is satisfied that women across the country have recognised “these intentions” of opposition parties, citing the high turnout of women voters in the Assembly polls of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
The Prime Minister said when a woman is empowered within a household, it strengthens the family, the society and the country.
Referring to past challenges, he said women, including those in Varanasi, had to struggle a lot, facing numerous social constraints and questions about their capabilities.
Switching briefly to a mix of a regional dialect and Bhojpuri, Modi said women and girls were often told, “What will you achieve by doing all this? You will not be able to do it.” At times, he added, they were not even asked but simply told that certain tasks were beyond their capabilities.
The Prime Minister said such experiences were not limited to Varanasi but were common across the country and were often accepted as normal.
“When I became the chief minister of Gujarat about 25 years ago, I first tried to change such mindsets,” he said.
Modi said two major schemes for girls were launched at the time — one to ensure greater enrolment in schools and prevent dropouts, and another to provide financial assistance through a dedicated fund for their education.
“Since then, women’s welfare has remained a top priority in our policies,” he said.
