Deeply unfortunate that PM chose to mislead nation over women's quota bill: Mamata

She accused the central government was plotting to push through the delimitation exercise by "using women as a shield".

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday claimed that it was "deeply unfortunate" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to "mislead the nation" over the women's quota bill.

She also alleged that the central government was plotting to push through the delimitation exercise by "using women as a shield".

"It is deeply unfortunate that the Prime Minister chose to mislead the nation rather than address it honestly," Banerjee said on X.

In an address to the nation on Saturday, a day after a bill to implement 33 per cent women's reservation in legislatures in 2029 was defeated in the Lok Sabha, Modi warned the Congress and its allies that the women of India will severely punish them for "the sin of foeticide".

Banerjee said, "Trinamool Congress has always championed higher political representation for women. We have the highest proportion of female elected representatives in both Parliament and the state legislature." In the Lok Sabha, 37.9 per cent of TMC's elected members are women, she said.

The party has nominated 46 per cent women members in the Rajya Sabha, Banerjee said.

She said that the question of opposing women's reservation does not arise.

"What we are fundamentally opposed to is the delimitation exercise that the Modi government was plotting to push through by using women as a shield for its vested political agenda," Banerjee alleged.