Ranchi: The ruling coalition in Jharkhand on Friday welcomed the defeat in the Lok Sabha of the constitutional amendment bill to implement reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, claiming that it has fully exposed the Narendra Modi-led Union govt.JMM, which heads the alliance govt, reiterated that they are still in favour of the women’s reservation bill. “We are in favour of increasing women’s reservation, but we are opposed to the current amendment, which was brought in haste for political mileage by the Modi govt. The bill, which was passed in 2023, got wholehearted support from all opposition parties. But the Modi govt didn’t even implement the law and suddenly brought in a new amendment,” said JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya, stating that without a caste census and delimitation, they can’t support the formulae presented by the Centre.“It is because the bill had nothing to do with women’s reservation or their concerns, but was solely aimed at political jumla,” he said.In Giridih, JMM’s Gandey MLA Kalpana Soren added that they have long been advocating for increasing women’s participation in politics, and stand firmly in its support. “Whether it is the Lok Sabha or state assemblies, women must get their due rights. But I want to ask the central govt: Why impose delimitation on old data? Why this haste?” she asked.State Congress general secretary Alok Kumar Dubey alleged that BJP’s intention was to exploit the issue for electoral gains. “Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi has clearly stated that if the govt implements the 2023 bill exactly as it is, the entire opposition will support it.”BJP questioned JMM’s selective ‘pro-feminism’ stance. BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, “JMM and Congress are indulging in politics of misinformation and deceit on the issue of women’s reservation, while its own track record reflects indifference to women’s rights. In 2010, when the women’s reservation bill was introduced in Parliament, MPs from the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) tore copies inside the House. At that time, JMM was part of the same political ecosystem but failed to muster the courage to oppose such conduct.”
