Congress hits out at Ashok Chavan over women's quota bill remarks, alleges ‘betrayal’

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Congress on Saturday slammed BJP leader Ashok Chavan for accusing the Opposition of stalling the women’s reservation bill, alleging that he had "betrayed" the party’s legacy and his late father’s loyalty to the fold.

The Congress, in a stinging post on X, reminded the Rajya Sabha MP that it had pioneered women’s quotas in local bodies under former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

It was reacting to Chavan's remark on Friday that Opposition parties were creating hurdles in the implementation of women's reservation due to "political ego".

Former Maharashtra chief minister Chavan quit the Congress and joined the BJP in 2024.

The Congress accused Ashok Chavan of betraying the party's legacy and invoked his father, late Shankarrao Chavan, who it said had remained loyal to the fold throughout his life.

"Chavan should recall that the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, was passed unanimously in Parliament with the party's support and was notified on April 16," it said in the post.

It pointed out that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had laid the foundation for 33 per cent reservation for women in local self-government bodies, which was later increased to 50 per cent during the party's rule.

The party urged Chavan to "honour his commitments" and "show some backbone".

Chavan on Friday called the Nari Shakti Vandan Act a "historic and transformative" step aimed at providing 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies from the 2029 elections.

Reacting to the Bill's failure to get a two-thirds majority in the Lower House, he claimed that the Centre had provided "objective and concrete" responses to all concerns raised by the Opposition.

He noted that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had expressed willingness in Parliament to consider increasing the number of Lok Sabha constituencies proportionately across states if the Opposition demanded a 50 per cent reservation framework.

"However, the Opposition's overall conduct shows that they place their political interests above the welfare of crores of women in the country," Chavan said.

He added that the Opposition may see the Bill's defeat as a political victory, but in reality, it is a setback for women's rights and empowerment.

A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday in the Lower House.

While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.

According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.