BJP, Cong accuse each other of sabotaging women''s reservation in legislature

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/NEW DELHI: (Apr 18) As the BJP accused the Congress-led opposition of choosing politics over progress and "betraying" women, following the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, the grand old party hit back by claiming that it was the saffron party which "sabotaged" reservation for women in the legislature.

The bill aimed to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and sought to increase the seats in the Lok Sabha, from the existing 543 to 816, to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Tourism Suresh Gopi accused the Congress-led opposition in the Lok Sabha of "choosing politics over progress by voting against the bill".