BJP Mahila Morcha president Daisy Thakur on Monday criticised opposition parties for voting against the constitutional amendment bill aimed at speeding up the implementation of the women’s reservation law. She described the day the bill was defeated as a “black day in democratic history” and blamed the Congress for treating women only as vote banks instead of ensuring real empowerment.
“This is not just a political issue but an attack on the dignity of millions of women. The response is now visible on the streets,” she said. Thakur was speaking during the Jan Aakrosh Mahila Padyatra organised in Shimla by the Mahila Morcha to protest against opposition parties for opposing the bill.
Thousands of women participated in the rally led by Thakur. The programme was attended by BJP state president Rajeev Bindal, state in-charge Shrikant Sharma, co-in-charge Sanjay Tandon, and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur.
Addressing the gathering, BJP state general secretary Payal Vaidya strongly criticised the Congress. She said the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, or women’s reservation law, was a historic step aimed at ensuring 33 per cent quota for women from panchayats to Parliament.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a special session of Parliament to institutionalise women's participation in decision-making, but the Congress and its allies sabotaged this opportunity for political reasons," she said.
MLA Reena Kashyap also blamed the state government for misusing administrative machinery to obstruct the rally. She said buses carrying women participants, especially from Solan and nearby areas, were stopped, delayed, or diverted. "This was a calculated attempt to suppress women's voices, but the massive turnout proves that such tactics have failed," she said.
BJP state president Rajeev Bindal said that Congress has betrayed the women of the country. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, women have been empowered economically, socially and educationally over the past decade. The next logical step was ensuring their participation in governance," he said.
Terming the rally as the start of a larger political shift, former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said the Congress’s anti-women stance had now been exposed. He added that women across the state would respond through democratic means in the coming polls. “Women are no longer passive participants. They are now the driving force of political change,” he asserted.
Also read: Urban local body elections in Himachal on May 17
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