Mumbai, April 20 (NationPress) In a significant move within the ongoing political discourse regarding gender representation, Congress Working Committee member and MP Praniti Shinde has accepted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' challenge for a public debate concerning the Women’s Reservation Bill. Shinde amplified the challenge by calling for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in the discussion.

During a press briefing alongside party MP Shobha Bachhav, Shinde accused the BJP of leveraging the reservation issue as a “Trojan horse” to implement a concealed agenda focused on constituency delimitation, which she argued could jeopardize the nation’s federal integrity.

Shinde invited the Chief Minister to determine the time and place for a public showdown.

Both Shinde and Bachhav claimed that the BJP’s genuine motive behind the special session was to advance delimitation strategies that could foster division between northern and southern states.

They asserted that the 33 percent reservation should be immediately enacted across the current 543 Lok Sabha seats, without pending conditions related to a new census or delimitation. Shinde criticized the BJP’s 2023 Women’s Reservation Bill as being riddled with “clumsy conditions” meant to postpone its execution.

“The BJP administration convened a special session under the pretext of women’s reservation, yet the agenda did not even address it at first. Their actual intent was to push through constituency delimitation for electoral advantage. This conspiracy was thwarted by the Congress and the INDIA coalition, forcing the government to retreat,” she argued.

Shinde also referenced the Chief Minister’s comments on “female foeticide,” redirecting the conversation to the BJP’s record on women's safety.

She pointed to troubling incidents in places such as Manipur, Hathras, Unnao, and Badlapur, stating: “The BJP does not just engage in political foeticide; they are accountable for character assassination and daily physical violence against women.”

Bachhav emphasized the historical role of the Congress, acknowledging former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for initiating 33 percent reservation in Panchayati Raj institutions and Sonia Gandhi for advocating a 50 percent quota in several states.

“Currently, there are 1.5 million women in local governance, thanks to the Congress. Had the 2023 Bill been enacted before the 2024 elections, we would have seen approximately 180 women MPs. Instead, the BJP has attached conditions to the Bill. The public is aware of who genuinely supports women’s rights,” she stated.

Shinde criticized the organizational framework of the BJP and RSS, questioning the absence of a woman as the national president of the BJP. She dismissed the party’s proposed signature campaign as a “collection of bogus signatures,” alleging that the party is built on a foundation of “falsehoods.”

Both Shinde and Bachhav suggested that if the BJP truly cares about women's empowerment, it should eliminate the census requirement and immediately implement the 33 percent quota based on the current Lok Sabha composition.