Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday described the failure of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha as a setback for women and apologized for not being able to secure its passage.
Prime Minister Modi was addressing the nation a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 failed to clear the Lok Sabha amid a united front of the opposition.
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In his address to the nation, Modi criticized opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, and accused them of blocking a measure to boost women’s representation.
Here are the most important quotes from Prime Minister Modi’s speech:
“The interest of the country is above all else.”
“For us, the interest of the nation has priority. But when someone puts party interest above national interest, then women and the country have to bear the consequences. That is what happened this time too. Due to the selfish policies of parties like Congress, DMK, TMC and Samajwadi Party, women of the country have suffered,” she said.
“I ask forgiveness from women”
“I seek forgiveness from all the women of the country. Every citizen of India is watching how the dreams of our women have been crushed.”
“An attack on women’s dignity”
“What happened in Parliament was not just an office thrashing, it was an attack on women’s dignity and self-respect. A woman may forget many things, but she never forgets her insult. The behavior of Congress and its allies in Parliament will remain in the minds of women across the country. Whenever people see these leaders in their constituencies, they will remember that these are the same individuals who celebrated the cessation of women’s reservation in Parliament. The women of the country are closely watching and understand their intentions.”
“Congress and opposition parties committed the crime of feticide.”
“This was an attempt to give a greater voice to each state in Parliament. Whether the states were small or large, whether their population was greater or less, this was an attempt to ensure an equal distribution of power. But Congress and its allies committed the murder of this honest attempt in front of the entire country. They committed the murder of the unborn.”
“Celebrating after defeat”
“Yesterday, millions of women across the country were watching Parliament. The women of the nation were watching closely. It saddened me greatly to see that when this motion in favor of women was defeated, parties like Congress, DMK, TMC, SP and these ruling parties were clapping in celebration.”
‘Women are watching closely’
“They forget that women of the 21st century are closely monitoring every development in the country. They can sense the intentions and clearly understand the truth. Therefore, the sin committed by the opposition in opposing women’s reservation will definitely be punished. These parties also did not respect the sentiments of the framers of the Constitution, and they will not be able to escape the punishment imposed on them by the people. The Nari Shakti Vandhan Adhiniyam in the Assembly was not about taking anything from anyone, it was about giving. Something for everyone.”
“A missed opportunity to make history”
“I expected Congress to right its past mistakes, but they missed an opportunity to write a new history. Congress has always believed in the politics of dividing people, so they spread lies about North-South divide. Every challenge our country faces today is due to the negative approach of the Congress party over the years.”
“Modified Nari Shakti Vandan”
“The Nari Shakti Vandhan amendment was the need of the hour. It was aimed at strengthening all states across the country, whether big or small, on an equal footing, and ensuring balanced representation. It was a sincere effort to strengthen the voice of every state. However, this effort was defeated in Parliament by the Congress and its allies. These parties have consistently opposed women’s reservation and have, time and again, created hurdles to prevent its implementation.”
“Congress revealed its true face”
“Sometimes, because of numbers, sometimes through other arguments, the Congress and its allies tried to mislead the country. In doing so, these parties revealed their true colors before the women of India. I personally was hoping that the Congress would right its decades-old mistake and atone for its past actions. But it missed the opportunity to create history and stand in support of women. The Congress has already lost its presence in most parts of the country. It is living like a parasite by riding on the backs of regional parties, but it does not want those parties. Regional parties to become stronger.”
