Chandigarh, April 19 (NationPress) Congress MP Manish Tewari stated on Sunday that the Opposition fiercely opposed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, leading to its defeat in the Lok Sabha. This resistance stemmed from serious concerns that the bill was a façade for altering the political and demographic landscape of the nation, disguised as women's reservation.

In an interview with IANS, Tewari criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks during his recent address to the nation regarding the Women's Reservation Bill. He remarked, "It is regrettable. The Prime Minister of India should refrain from using such language. It is inappropriate to transform a national address into a political platform. The reality is that the Women's Reservation Bill was already passed in 2023, yet the government only issued the official notification on April 16, 2026. If they were genuinely concerned about women's reservations, why the 30-month delay in notifying the law? That is the fundamental question."

Tewari emphasized that the current Bill presented in Parliament extends beyond mere women's reservation, closely intertwining with delimitation issues. "There was an attempt to reshape the political and geographical framework of the country under the pretense of women's reservation. Concerns arose that India's political and electoral map could undergo a significant redesign, prompting unified opposition from our MPs," he explained.

The Congress MP asserted that the Opposition is willing to support women's reservation if it is enacted within the current framework of parliamentary seats. "We are reiterating that with 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, the Act can be implemented immediately. Who is preventing you from reserving seats for women? This could have been achieved in 2023. The 2023 Act stipulates that a census will precede delimitation, followed by women's reservation. This is not our assertion; it is stated in their own Act," Tewari elaborated.

He further criticized the government's intention to apply women's reservation based on the outdated 2011 census data—figures that are now 16 years old. "They are attempting to conduct delimitation under the guise of women's reservation, which is unacceptable to anyone," he added.

Reaffirming his party's stance, Tewari remarked, "If they are earnest about women's reservation, we will back them even if they present it today." This criticism arose a day after Prime Minister Modi sharply condemned the Congress and its allies, accusing them of committing what he termed as "foeticide" regarding the proposed 'Nari Shakti Vandan' Amendment, aimed at increasing women's involvement in Indian politics.

During his address on Saturday, Modi emphasized that the proposed amendment was not designed to strip rights from any group but rather to provide overdue representation to women, who constitute nearly half of India's population. Expressing profound disappointment over the Opposition's position, PM Modi accused parties like the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, and DMK of 'brutally sabotaging' the initiative within Parliament and the public sphere.

He further claimed that Congress has a historical pattern of resisting women's reservation and has repeatedly obstructed such initiatives. According to him, the Opposition once again relied on misleading arguments, diversionary tactics, and statistical pretexts to hinder the Bill.