'Betrayal of nation and its women': Andhra CM Naidu slams opposition for women's bill rejection

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu came in strong support of Centre on Saturday while asserting that the opposition's narrative against delimitation was wrong and seats would have increased, not reduced in south as assured by prime minister Narendra Modi.

Naidu also participated in a NDA protest rally organised in Nidadavolu and strongly criticised opposition parties, accusing them of betraying women by obstructing the 33 per cent Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament. Speaking during a protest rally in Nidadavolu, the Chief Minister termed the incident as a “black day in India’s history” and a “betrayal of the nation and its women.”

At the Swachh Andhra–Swarna Andhra meeting venue in Nidadavolu, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, Naidu criticised the opposition for opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill and raising concerns over delimitation. He said the opposition’s argument that southern and smaller states would face injustice due to delimitation was illogical and unfounded. Naidu explained that delimitation has been based on past Census data since the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with the freeze continuing until 2026.

Referring to assurances given in Parliament by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he stated that no state would have lost seats and that representation would have increased proportionately, had the bill been passed.

He cited examples, saying Andhra Pradesh’s Lok Sabha seats would have risen from 25 to around 38, while states like Kerala would have seen an increase from 20 to about 30, reflecting nearly a 50 per cent rise based on existing numbers.

Questioning why such a bill was opposed, Naidu accused the opposition of deliberately misleading the public and diverting the issue. He alleged that their actions effectively denied reservation benefits to women, calling it a betrayal and injustice to the country’s women, and warned them strongly against such moves.

At the protest rally Naidu described the day the bill was stalled as a “black day” in India’s democratic history and demanded that opposition parties should apologise to women. He accused them of treating women merely as a vote bank while denying them rightful political representation.

Naidu said respecting women is an integral part of Indian culture, but what happened in Parliament was contrary to that.

The Chief Minister announced that the protest movement would be intensified and taken to every household. He said this was only the beginning and mentioned that after discussions with Pawan Kalyan the agitation will be intensified.

Chandrababu Naidu recalled that the TDP government had passed a resolution in the Assembly in 2017 supporting women’s reservation, whereas the Congress failed to even introduce such a bill during its tenure. He alleged that opposition parties deliberately prevented the bill from securing the required two-thirds majority by citing baseless concerns about regional imbalances.

“Women constitute half the population and are excelling in every field. Their representation in legislatures would ensure justice. Blocking this bill is an unforgivable act and an insult to women’s dignity,” he said.

He further questioned how such parties could seek votes from women after obstructing their empowerment and called upon the public to hold them accountable.

BJP State president PVN Madhav, Minister Kandula Durgesh from Jana Sena, along with several leaders from TDP, BJP and Jana Sena participated in the protest rally.