Modi said parties that blocked the bill would have to answer to women across the country, warning that women voters would punish the opposition for opposing the measure.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, April 18, 2026 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack on the opposition, particularly the Congress, accusing it of hatching a “deep conspiracy” to defeat the Women’s Reservation Bill. He claimed that regional parties supporting the Congress opposed the legislation not only due to delimitation concerns, but primarily because they feared losing their political hegemony if ordinary women entered mainstream politics in large numbers.
Addressing the nation through a televised speech and later during a Cabinet meeting on Saturday, Modi said the opposition had committed a historic mistake by blocking the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to reserve 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
“The real reason behind their opposition is that these regional parties believe that once the women’s quota bill is passed, their family hegemony over politics will end,” sources quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
“If the bill had been passed, ordinary women from villages and towns would have come to the forefront of politics, and the dynastic parties, along with their ‘apradh’ (heir apparent) culture, would have taken a direct hit.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Congress and its allies of committing the “foeticide” of the Women’s Reservation Bill, calling it an offence against the Constitution and the women of India.
Modi specifically named the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, Trinamool Congress (TMC) (if that is what you meant), and other regional allies, while keeping the sharpest focus on the Congress, which he accused of masterminding the defeat.
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“In parliament, leaders of the Congress, DMK, Trinamool and Samajwadi Party were clapping in defeating the bill. They clapped as they took away what women of the country were entitled to get. It is an attack on women’s self-respect… A woman may forget anything, but will never forget injustice done to her,” PM Modi said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologised to “all the mothers” of the country after the defeat of the Women’s Reservation Bill, saying the failure to pass the legislation marked a setback for women’s progress.
“Today I want to discuss an important issue, especially for the women of this country. Every citizen has witnessed how women’s progress has been stalled. Despite our best efforts, we have not succeeded. Amendments could not be made to the Nari Shakti Adhiniyam, and for this I apologise to all the mothers and to the nation,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister blamed what he called the “selfish politics” of the Indian National Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, All India Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party for the bill’s defeat, alleging they had placed party interests above national interest.
“For us, the nation’s interest is paramount. But when some put party interests above national interests, women and the country have to bear the consequences. That is what has happened this time,” he said.
Modi also said he was saddened to see opposition parties celebrate the bill’s defeat in Parliament, calling it deeply disappointing at a moment when, he said, women were expecting historic political empowerment.
He warned that by playing “dirty politics,” the Congress had not only betrayed the women of India, but had also endangered the future of the regional parties blindly supporting it.
“Congress has hatched a conspiracy. By blocking this bill, they have put the political future of their regional allies at grave risk,” he said.
The Prime Minister directed party workers to take this message to every village: that the opposition had let down Indian women and would have to face the consequences.
He warned that women would punish opposition leaders who, he said, “celebrated and rejoiced in the halls of Parliament when the hope of women’s reservation was extinguished.”
“The women of this nation will remember,” PM Modi said. “Whenever they encounter these leaders in their own neighbourhoods, they will remember that these are the very individuals who celebrated in Parliament when the aspiration for women’s reservation was defeated.”
Bill Fails in Lok Sabha
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to secure the mandatory two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on Friday night. It received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short by a significant margin. The heated debate lasted over 12 hours, stretching past midnight into Friday.
The bill was part of a broader package aimed at increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to approximately 816 seats after the next delimitation exercise, allowing the 33% women’s quota to be implemented without reducing any state’s existing representation.
During the three-day special Parliament session, PM Modi had given a personal guarantee that no southern state would suffer any injustice once the number of seats increased. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also assured the House that the representation of southern states would be preserved or even slightly enhanced.
Despite these repeated assurances, the opposition — led by Congress and supported by the SP, DMK, and others — voted against the bill, citing concerns over delimitation and alleged political motives.
Opposition’s Counterclaim
Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, maintained that the government was using the women’s reservation issue as a smokescreen to push a larger agenda of redrawing electoral boundaries in its favour. Priyanka Gandhi described the defeat of the bill as a “victory of opposition unity.”
