Ahead of the elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday criticized the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), saying they missed an opportunity for development in his address to the nation.
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.
Read also | “Congress and UP parties committed female foeticide”: PM Modi after setback in women’s quota bill
The Prime Minister also criticized the opposition for what he claimed was “behrun hatia” or killing of unborn babies for the Centre’s “sincere attempts” to provide equality to women.
“This was an attempt to give more voice to every state in Parliament. Whether the states were small or large, whether their population was greater or less, this was an attempt to ensure equal distribution of power. But the Congress and its allies committed the crime of female foeticide with this sincere attempt in front of the entire country. They have committed the crime of foeticide,” PM Modi said in the video address.
Criticizing the opposition, Prime Minister Modi said that parties like Congress, TMC, SP and DMK are responsible for this feticide.
“They are the culprits of the Constitution and Nari Shakti. The Congress hates the issue of women’s reservation,” he said, adding that the women of our country will give a befitting reply to the Congress and its allies.
Women’s quota bill
Under the bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to “tap into effect” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary elections, after the delimitation exercise based on the 2011 census. Seats in state assemblies and UT assemblies were also to be increased to accommodate the 33 per cent reservation for women.
Passing the crucial bill required a two-thirds majority, but the ruling coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party was unable to muster enough numbers.
During the vote on the bill in Lok Sabha on Friday evening, 298 members voted in favor of it, while 230 MPs voted against it.
Of the 528 members who voted, the bill needed 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
