Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the women’s reservation issue for political purposes, while Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar criticized the Centre’s approach, saying the bill was brought without proper consultation with the opposition parties. Their statements come after the defeat of the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 131 regarding women’s reservation and limits in Parliament.
Speaking in Haveri area, where he was present to launch the development work, Siddaramaiah said the Center is trying to blame the opposition for electoral gains. “The Prime Minister is trying to blame the party only for political expediency as there are elections in states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal,” he said.
He asserted that the Congress had never opposed women’s reservation and pointed to its record to support this claim. “Congress has never opposed women’s reservation. As Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi introduced 33% reservation in urban and rural local bodies through the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution. When the NDA government introduced the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament, Congress supported it wholeheartedly,” he said.
He expressed concern that the proposed border demarcation process could change the balance of power between countries. “The current bill aims to reduce the political balance of states and reduce the power of south Indian states. That is why we oppose it,” he said.
Speaking about the potential impact of demarcation, he said the changes could disproportionately favor larger northern states. “The Prime Minister and other ministers say the number of seats in all states will increase by 50%. If that happens, seats in Uttar Pradesh will increase from the current 80 to over 120. But small states like Karnataka, which have followed proactive policies to stabilize population, will suffer. Karnataka will have only 42 seats. The relative strength of various states in Parliament will hurt the interests of smaller states that have followed progressive policies and schemes,” he said. Siddaramaiah said.
Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar also criticized the way the bill was presented, saying the opposition parties did not command confidence. “This is democracy, and this is not a Hitler-style rule,” he said. “They cannot apply it in the middle of an election and try to change entire electoral districts.”
He said there was a need for broader consultations. “They should take everyone into confidence, but they did not do that. That is why the opposition parties have done a very good job. So, this is a victory for the All India Alliance,” Shivakumar said.
Rejecting claims that the Congress is against women’s reservation, he said: “This is not anyone’s personal property. Women are the asset of the nation. We have passed this in the Rajya Sabha and the Congress has already given 50% reservation to women in local bodies. Even today, we support it.”
He also warned that the proposed changes could affect regional representation. “Without consulting us, they are trying to redraw electoral districts, give more weight to north India and reduce representation in south India. No one can tolerate this,” he said.
But the BJP blamed Congress for the defeat of the bill. Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka accused the party of depriving women of political representation. “The people of the country will not forgive the Congress for ignoring the power of women. They will teach the party a lesson in the upcoming state elections,” he said.
He further alleged that Congress relied on welfare measures instead of empowering women politically. “Congress believes that women should stay at home, cook, visit temples and should not have political representation. They do not want women in Parliament or Legislative Assembly. They have deprived women of reservation,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Mahila Morcha said it had launched protests across the state over the issue. State President KC Manjula said demonstrations have already been organized in several towns and will continue. “The protests will continue until the Congress government is removed from power in Karnataka,” she added. “We were preparing to celebrate the passage of the reservation bill, but that has now turned into anger,” she added.
