Narendra Modi’s address tonight: What to expect on women’s reservation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation at 8:30 PM following a major political development—the failure of the Women’s Reservation Bill to pass in Parliament.

The address is expected to focus on the contentious issue of granting 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament, which has sparked a fierce confrontation between the ruling government and the opposition.

What happened to the Women’s Reservation Bill?

The proposed legislation, which sought to ensure one-third representation for women in Parliament, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.

In the voting, 298 members supported the bill while 230 opposed it. Om Birla confirmed that the bill did not pass, effectively stalling the government’s push on the issue for now.

Kiren Rijiju later stated that the Centre would not proceed with related legislations linked to the bill.

Why is the bill politically contentious?

The debate around the bill has gone beyond women’s reservation to include the issue of delimitation, which determines the allocation of parliamentary seats.

While the government has framed the bill as a step toward gender equality, opposition leaders argue that it is linked to a broader political agenda.

Rahul Gandhi said, “Yesterday in Parliament, they came up with a new Bill. They said it was a Women's Bill, but that was already passed in 2023. The hidden agenda behind that Bill was delimitation. The idea was to reduce Tamil Nadu's representation in the Parliament of India and weaken southern and smaller states. We defeated that Bill in Parliament yesterday.”

Outlining his broader stance, he added, “Every state should have a voice in the Union and should be free to express its language and protect its tradition.”

How has the government responded?

The ruling BJP has accused the opposition of blocking a historic opportunity to empower women politically.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that opposition parties obstructed the passage of the bill, framing the issue as one of women’s rights versus political resistance.

Former Union Minister Smriti Irani launched a sharp attack on the Congress and its allies.

“The women of the country were told that the Congress party has created a dream that holds the intention of securing political rights for women. What has become of that intention after 98 years was seen yesterday by women across the country in the nation's Parliament. The Congress party smiled, thumped desks, and celebrated politically yesterday as they crushed the aspirations of the nation's political awakening. But for the BJP, this is not just a struggle for power; it is a fight for the right to equality. Women will remember that during six decades of Congress rule, 11 crore women in this country were deprived of access to toilets. Women will remember that 25 crore women were denied the support to open bank accounts. Women will remember that under BJP-NDA, the first gender budget framework was introduced.”

She further added, “Congress and its supporting parties celebrated the fact that the struggling political women of this country, who have been working for years and were merely demanding 33% rights. They were immersed in the celebration of how to deny those women their rights by breaking their dignity, and how to win the battle in Parliament. Today, in the Congress press conference, a jibe was made that some people in the BJP tried to play the messiah. I'm stunned that in the Congress press conference, it was stated that they support the bill passed in 2023, which mentions delimitation. But look at Congress's hypocrisy--they also say together that they don't have faith in the committee and the arrangement for delimitation. Congress has no faith in the country's constitutional arrangement, in Parliament, or in the women of the country. Congress has exposed its cruel face in front of the women of the country.”

What happens next?

With the bill failing in Parliament, the political battle has now shifted beyond the House. The BJP and its allies have launched protests, accusing the opposition of being anti-women and resisting progress.

At the same time, the opposition maintains that it supports women’s reservation in principle but opposes linking it to delimitation.

The Prime Minister’s address is expected to outline the government’s next steps and frame the broader narrative around women’s political representation ahead of future legislative or electoral moves.

(With inputs from ANI)