Patna: CM Samrat Choudhary on Sunday criticised the opposition for defeating the proposed amendment to the women’s reservation bill, calling the development a “black day”. He accused Congress and Trinamool Congress of mocking women’s reservation when the Constitution amendment bill fell in the Lok Sabha. “Lalu Prasad’s party, RJD, has always been anti-women,” he alleged.Addressing a press conference at the BJP office here, Choudhary said the opposition would face political consequences for its stand. “I assure mothers and sisters of Bihar that these opposition parties will have to pay for what they have done. Women workers of our party are going to hit the streets on the issue,” he said.
He highlighted the low representation of women in the Bihar legislative assembly, saying there are currently only 29 women MLAs. “Had the bill been passed, the number would have risen to at least 122 in Bihar assembly,” he said.Targeting the Congress, Choudhary said the party must explain why political opportunities remain concentrated within influential families while poor women continue to be denied representation. He accused opposition leaders of double standards, alleging that they support women’s political participation only when it benefits their own families. He said they are comfortable when a daughter from their own household becomes an MP, but cannot accept a daughter from another family reaching the same position.Choudhary further alleged that opposition parties were celebrating the bill’s failure, describing it as an insult to the idea of “Nari Shakti”.He said Bihar had already demonstrated a successful model of women’s empowerment through reservation at the grassroots level. Referring to the NDA govt’s 2006 decision to provide 50% reservation for women in panchayati raj institutions and municipal bodies, he said, the results had exceeded expectations. He noted that although Bihar provides 50% reservation for women, more than 59% of them are winning elections in these bodies.He also referred to the Centre’s proposal to increase the number of MPs from 543 to 816, saying that if the bill had been passed, 272 of those seats would have gone to women, making it a major structural reform.On this occasion, BJP Mahila Morcha national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Darshana Singh said the opposition’s stand had disappointed women across the country. She said the special Parliamentary session, which could have become historic, instead exposed duplicity and obstructionist politics.RLM MLA Snehlata Kushwaha announced that a “Dhikkar March” would be held at all district headquarters on April 22. Among those present on the dais were JD(U) leader Leshi Singh and HAM-S MLA Jyoti Manjhi.
