New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation at 8.30 P.M. on Saturday and is likely to speak on the Women’s Reservation Bill.Earlier in the day, following the conclusion of the Parliament session, leaders from all parties held a formal meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Prime Minister Modi also spearheaded a key meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in New Delhi, focussing on safeguarding India’s security and economic interests amid the escalating conflict in West Asia.

The Cabinet meeting was held a day after the Constitution Amendment Bill, aimed at implementing reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 and increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha, was defeated in the Lower House. While 298 members voted in favour of the Bill, 230 voted against it. Out of the 528 members who participated in the voting, the Bill required 352 votes to secure passage.According to the proposed legislation, the number of Lok Sabha seats was to be increased from the current 543 to a maximum of 850 in order to operationalise the women’s reservation law before the 2029 General Elections.

This expansion was to follow a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. Similarly, seats in state and Union Territory assemblies were also to be increased to accommodate a 33 per cent reservation for women.Following the Bill’s defeat in the Lok Sabha, the BJP termed the development a 'black day' and accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of betraying women. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Congress and the Opposition would have to face the anger of women across the country, alleging that they had permanently damaged their credibility.

Meanwhile, the Congress and its allies maintained that the quota law passed in 2023 should be implemented immediately, accusing the government of politicising the issue. Several Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, stated that they were not opposed to women’s reservation but objected to its linkage with delimitation.Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also alleged that the government’s true intent is to alter the constitutional framework and concentrate executive power. He noted that while the Congress had supported the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2023 and ensured its passage, the Centre’s decision to link it with delimitation was unacceptable to the Opposition.

/IANS