Opposition unity foiled Modi regime’s ‘conspiracy’ on Women’s Quota Bill: Priyanka
New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has said the unity of the Opposition defeated the Modi government’s “conspiracy” to alter the federal structure and weaken democracy after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, was defeated in the Lok Sabha.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Bill, which sought 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and expansion of the House, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, getting 278 votes in favour and 211 against.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC office, Priyanka Gandhi said, “What happened yesterday was a huge victory for democracy. The government’s conspiracy to alter the federal structure and weaken democracy was defeated and halted. This was a victory for the Constitution, for the country, and for the unity of the Opposition.” She said remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah that the Opposition would never win if it did not support the Bill exposed their intention. “I think it’s a conspiracy that somehow they need to stay in power. So, this was a plan to stay in power permanently using women,” she said. “They thought if it was passed, they’d win. If it’s not passed, they’ll become the ‘messiah’ of women by calling other parties anti-women. Being a woman, I know that becoming a ‘messiah’ of women isn’t easy,” she added, citing Unnao, Hathras, Olympic athletes, and Manipur.
“No one supported those women. And today, you are standing in the Parliament and saying that you want to become a ‘messiah’ of women?” Priyanka Gandhi said the Bill was not about women’s reservation but delimitation. “Everyone saw how they can be defeated when the Opposition unites,” she said, calling it a “Black Day” for the Centre. She urged the government to bring back the Bill passed unanimously in 2023. “Give women their rights, right now. But don’t try to mislead women by twisting it around and attaching it to other things,” she said.
“The provisions attached to it, including delimitation and the 2011 census, make it very clear that they knew this Bill was not going to be passed. They were only seeking political credit,” she added.
