Published Apr 18, 2026 | 9:52 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 18, 2026 | 9:52 PM
In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi apologised to "mother and sisters" for failing to ensure reservation in lawmaking bodies.
Synopsis: Referring to delimitation, Modi said the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was a great yajna for empowering the 21st-century woman. The government had, from the beginning, maintained that no state would lose representation if delimitation had been carried out.
A day after the Lok Sabha defeated the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 18 April, launched a broadside against the Opposition, saying women would never forget their humiliation.
The Prime Minister pegged his address on reservations for women in lawmaking bodies, including the Lok Sabha, but focused little on the two companion Bills, the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, which were dropped.
“The Opposition will be punished for their sins,” he said, adding the defeat was the “foeticide of an honest effort”.
On Friday, 17 April, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill did not pass muster in the Lok Sabha as it failed to win the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment.
While 298 members voted in favour, 230 others opposed it. The Bill required 352 votes to become an Act in the House, which had 528 members present on Friday.
Related: NDA’s push for delimitation fails
Terming the setback a betrayal of women by the Opposition, Modi said, “Women may forget many things, but they never forget their humiliation.” The Prime Minister’s appeal was directed more at women.
Modi further apologised to women since he could not clear the quota Bill. “Dreams of women have been crushed. I apologise to all the mothers and sisters of the country,” he added.
The Prime Minister said selfish political interests had derailed the legislation of a long-overdue proposal for securing representation for half of India’s population.
Coming down heavily on the INDIA bloc, Modi said the Opposition leaders reacted intensely. “When the Bill was defeated, these dynasty parties were clapping,” he alleged.
Modi particularly targeted the INC, Samajwadi Party, All India Trinamool Congress and the DMK. He accused the Congress of repeatedly opposing the idea of women’s reservation, since it feared that the dynastic rule would come to an end if more women took up leadership roles.
Stating that the Opposition resorted to spreading misinformation, the Prime Minister said the Congress, SP, TMC, and DMK had always raised technical objections to delay and derail the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Elections to assemblies in TMC and DMK-ruled West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, respectively, have been scheduled for 23 and 29 April. While Tamil Nadu will poll in a single phase on 23 April, the polling in West Bengal will be held in two phases, on 23 and 29 April.
Referring to delimitation, Modi said the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was a great yajna for empowering the 21st-century woman. The government had, from the beginning, maintained that no state would lose representation if delimitation had been carried out.
In the Lok Sabha on Friday, the Opposition said there was almost a near-unanimous support for the Women’s Bill among all political parties, but they decried the government’s move to push for delimitation to redraw the electoral map of the country, along with the now-defeated Bill.
Almost all constituents of the INDIA bloc were in support of the Women’s Bill, but vehemently opposed — especially the South Indian states — the move for a population-based delimitation. They said the government’s move would harm the southern states under the guise of clearing the reservation for women.
