The party reiterated its support for the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, and claimed the proposed changes were linked to delimitation for political gains.
Addressing a press conference here, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the sole aim behind bringing the Constitution amendment bill was to remain in power permanently, adding that people could see through the government’s intentions.
“What happened yesterday was a very significant victory for democracy. The government’s conspiracy to alter the federal structure and weaken democracy was defeated and stopped,” she said.
“It was a victory for the Constitution, the country and the unity of the opposition. This was clearly visible on the faces of leaders from the ruling side,” she told reporters.
She claimed the government intended to use the bill for its benefit in the 2029 general elections. “This was not about the women’s reservation but related to delimitation,” she said.
Reacting to the government calling it a “black day” after the bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha — the first time a constitutional amendment brought by the Modi government has not passed in Parliament — Gandhi demanded the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023.”The Modi government has received its first jolt and, therefore, it is calling it a ‘Black Day’. This jolt was very necessary,” she asserted.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party’s stand on the immediate implementation of women’s reservation in legislatures has remained consistent. He alleged that the Narendra Modi government has “consistently flip-flopped” on the issue and is attempting to push through “insidious” changes to the country’s polity.
Ramesh said in its Nyay Patra manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had flagged the government’s “sinister” linking of delimitation and women’s reservation and promised immediate implementation of the quota.
“Our stand has been the same — in September 2023, in June 2024, and now in April 2026. The Modi government, on the other hand, has consistently flip-flopped, with its shifting stances united only by an indifference to women’s representation and by an attempt to push through insidious and wide-ranging changes to our polity in the name of women,” Ramesh said on X.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also said the defeat of the Constitution amendment bill was not merely a political setback for the BJP but a rejection of its intentions.
He alleged that the ruling party used women’s reservation as a cover to pursue a larger design of changing the Constitution and dismantling reservations for Dalits and tribals.
Addressing a press conference, Reddy said the government’s intentions were never honest.
“The so-called women’s reservation law was tied to delimitation and an increase in seats. If women’s reservation was the real goal, a simple amendment was all it needed,” he said.
Priyanka Gandhi further said remarks by Home Minister Amit Shah in the Lok Sabha — that the Congress will not be able to sit in the treasury benches for years — reflected the government’s mindset.
“The whole conspiracy was to permanently stay in power,” she said, alleging that the BJP has a history when it comes to women’s issues.
She also claimed that the ruling party wanted to avoid delimitation after a caste census. “This was being done by using women’s rights as an excuse. The government would have done delimitation according to its wishes,” she claimed.
“They thought that if the bill passes, it would be their victory, and if the bill does not pass, they would label the opposition as anti-women. The BJP wanted to prove itself as the messiah of women. But it is not easy to become the messiah of women. We saw what happened to women in Hathras, what happened to our Olympic medallists and others,” she said.
The Congress leader said the entire country has seen how the Modi government is defeated when the opposition unites.
“The opposition could not have supported the move (delimitation). It (voting on women’s reservation bill) showed that the opposition can defeat them (government) when united,” she added.
Asked how it would counter the BJP’s attempts to label the opposition “anti-women”, Gandhi said, “The public continues to suffer due to multiple problems… and it can see through their narrative.”
She added that women are increasingly aware of the government’s “PR and media tactics” and that such strategies would no longer work.
“The people of the country are aware; the government cannot mislead them,” she said, adding that public trust in the government has already eroded.
In a major setback to the government, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures by 2029 and to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated in the Lower House on Friday.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it.
