Kiren Rijiju hits out at Indian National Congress after setback to Narendra Modi govt
April 18, 2026: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju launched a sharp attack on the Indian National Congress, accusing it of exposing an “anti-women mindset” by celebrating the defeat of the Women’s Reservation Bill. He said the opposition would face “democratic punishment” from voters, particularly women, for blocking what he described as a historic reform aimed at ensuring greater representation.
Addressing the media after the session, Rijiju said the government had the numbers but fell short of the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment. Responding to remarks by Rahul Gandhi, he questioned how granting reservation to women could be termed undemocratic. Rijiju further asserted that the opposition would have to answer to women across the country for opposing the bill.
The proposed legislation, which aimed to provide 33% reservation for women through a delimitation-linked framework, secured 298 votes in favour and 230 against, failing to meet the required threshold. Following the result, Om Birla announced that the bill had not been passed. While the BJP, led by leaders like Amit Shah, blamed the opposition for blocking reform, opposition parties maintained they support women’s reservation but oppose linking it to delimitation and census processes, keeping the political confrontation alive.