PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday launched a blistering attack on the Opposition, accusing the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies of betraying women by blocking the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament.
Flanked by BJP State president Damu Naik and Poriem MLA Deviya Rane, Sawant branded the Congress “anti-national” and “anti-women,” charging that it had failed to stand by women despite once leading the country with a woman Prime Minister.
Sawant said the failure of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha was a setback for women’s empowerment and insisted that the BJP remains committed to ensuring 33% reservation for women in legislatures.
“We don’t mind giving 33% of the existing seats to women. I personally will not have any issue even if my own seat is reserved,” he declared.
Sawant stressed that the BJP’s support for the bill is unwavering, adding that women must get representation “from panchayat to Parliament.”
He contrasted this with what he described as the Congress’s reluctance to empower women politically, saying the party had once again exposed its lack of commitment to gender equality.
Sawant also highlighted that the BJP has consistently promoted women leaders within its ranks, pointing to Goa’s readiness to implement the quota in its 40-member Assembly once the law takes effect.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam which failed to secure the 2/3rds majority in Parliament and was defeated on Friday last had sought to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies for women.
While the BJP has championed the measure, Opposition parties raised concerns about its linkage to delimitation and census exercises, which it alleges is designed to change the country’s political map and create a North India v/s South India divide.
Sawant’s remarks meanwhile hint at the BJP’s strategy of driving a narrative that the opposition is obstructing women’s representation in an election year, a strategy it had unsuccessfully adopted here in Goa during the 2024 polls when it nominated industrialist Pallavi Dempo for the South Goa seat.
