Opposition Defeat of Amended Women’s Bill Thwarted Conspiracy to Abolish Quotas: CM Revanth Reddy
He argued that by using 2011 Census data, the quota could be rolled out by August 15, 2026, in time for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections, and assured that Congress would extend full support if such a bill is brought forward.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday said the Opposition had joined hands in the Lok Sabha to defeat the Constitution Amendment Bill, which he alleged was brought “to destroy the country.” He charged that the BJP-led government at the Centre had used women’s reservation as a pretext to increase Lok Sabha seats in northern states and secure a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution to abolish reservations altogether.
Revanth Reddy, at a press conference in the Capital, alleged that the Centre’s intent was “not clean” and that multiple bills were presented as a “mask” to link the women’s reservation Bill with delimitation and increase of Lok Sabha seats. Referring to the BJP’s “Char Sau Paar” slogan during the 2024 general elections, Revanth Reddy said it was aimed at securing two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution with its own strength and abolish reservations for SCs, STs and BCs.
Since the BJP failed to cross even 300 seats and was restricted to 240, forming government with support of other parites, it had devised a strategy to increase seats — potentially to around 850 — primarily in northern states where it was strong, to secure the numbers needed for constitutional changes, he alleged.
Revanth Reddy said the defeat of the Bill in the Lok Sabha reflected a lack of sincerity on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He described the failure as not merely a setback for the BJP but as evidence of its intentions being exposed. He alleged that “Modi’s arrogance” had led to the defeat.
Demanding that the Prime Minister prove his sincerity on women’s reservation, Revanth Reddy proposed introducing a fresh Bill by Monday to reserve one-third of the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats and one-third of seats in all state Assemblies for women. He said the I.N.D.I.A. block would extend full support, as it did in 2023, and suggested the Bill could be implemented from Tuesday.
He pointed out that the Election Commission had the 2011 Census data and that, based on the 2009 delimitation, 33 per cent reservation for women could be implemented by August 15, 2026, and applied in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections.
The Chief Minister said he was ready to initiate consultations with southern leaders including M.K. Stalin, Pinarayi Vijayan, Siddaramaiah, N. Chandrababu Naidu and N. Rangasamy to garner support. He recalled Union home minister Amit Shah stating that the Bill could be modified within an hour and said there was sufficient time until Monday to introduce a revised version.
Revanth Reddy urged the Centre to convene an all-party meeting on delimitation, consult experts, seek views of all state governments and conduct public consultations in every parliamentary constituency. He opposed pro-rata delimitation, warning it would politically undermine southern, northeastern and smaller states, weaken democracy, and penalise southern states that had successfully implemented family planning policies in line with central directives.
The Chief Minister criticised Modi over his remarks on the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, likening them to “killing the mother to save the child,” and termed comments by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya as uncalled for. He accused Union minister G. Kishan Reddy and MP K. Laxman of seeking favours with the Prime Minister instead of addressing public concerns.
Alleging that a smear campaign had been launched against the Congress, Revanth Reddy said the BJP was attempting to discredit the Opposition by claiming it had obstructed women’s reservation, while actually pursuing a hidden agenda to amend the Constitution and remove quotas. He said protests were orchestrated to defame the Opposition and that 140 crore citizens had witnessed these developments in Parliament.
Highlighting the Congress’ legacy, he said women in India were granted voting rights immediately after Independence, unlike the prolonged struggle in the United States. He noted that the Congress had appointed a woman President and Prime Minister, and elevated women as Lok Sabha Speakers, Governors and Chief Ministers. He recalled that leaders such as Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had served as party presidents, and that Rajiv Gandhi introduced 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies, which has led to representation reaching up to 50 per cent in several regions.
In contrast, he pointed out that since its formation in 1980, the BJP had 15 national presidents, all of them men.
“We are thankful to all those who helped defeat the Bill raised to destroy the country. If the intention was clean, we would have supported it. There was no need to link other bills to women’s reservation,” he said, adding that people had rejected the BJP’s attempt to secure 400 seats in 2024 and prevented it from gaining a two-thirds majority.
Calling for unity, he cautioned against creating a North-South divide and reiterated that any reform must strengthen the nation. “For us, the country comes first, the people second and the party third,” he said, offering unconditional support to any genuine effort to implement women’s reservation without linking it to delimitation.
MPs Dr Mallu Ravi, Suresh Shetkar and Balram Naik, government whips Yennam Srinivas Reddy and Beerla Ailaiah, and MLAs Malreddy Ranga Reddy, B. Manohar Reddy and T. Megha Reddy were present at the press conference.
