Women's quota row: UP CM likens oppn conduct in Lok Sabha to Draupadi 'cheerharan'

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday slammed I.N.D.I.A. bloc MPs for the defeat of a Constitution amendment bill to implement women's quota in legislatures and likened their actions in Lok Sabha to the "cheerharan" (disrobing) of Draupadi, a prominent female character in the epic Mahabharata.

Attacking opposition parties including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC and DMK, Adityanath said they were "anti-women" and their speeches and actions had exposed them.

On Friday, a Constitution amendment bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated in the Lower House, with the Modi government asserting that the struggle to give the rights to women will continue.

"When some southern states raised the issue that rightful share might get reduced, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah gave assurance that in accordance with the framework established by the 2011 Census, the representation for the southern states would increase in exactly the same ratio as it does for the northern and eastern states," Adityanath said.

There was only one wish that the entire House unite to pass the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam along with the amendment, he said.

"However, the scene which played out in the House, how the INDIA bloc -- the Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC, and DMK acted, draws our attention back to the scene of the 'cheerharan' (disrobing) of Draupadi (in the Kaurav assembly). The nature of the remarks, especially the irresponsible comments made by the opposition, the behaviour (they displayed) is known to everyone," the chief minister told reporters here.

Union minister Annpurna Devi was also present on this occasion.

On Friday, while 298 members voted in support of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. The bill required 352 votes to secure a two-third majority.

According to the Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 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. Seats were also to be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.

This was for the first time a bill under the Modi government was defeated in Parliament.