Bhopal, April 27 (). Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday defended the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government’s efforts for women’s reservation during a heated debate in the Assembly. He focused on delimitation and constitutional provisions and put the opposition on the defensive.
Yadav stressed that the proposed women’s reservation cannot be implemented without a constitutional amendment and delimitation process.
He accused Congress and other parties of taking contradictory stances on the issue.
He asked what they wanted, and said that while in power they had stopped delimitation, and now they were opposing it again.
The Chief Minister argued that political representation has been limited to a great extent due to the delay in implementing women’s reservation.
Citing statistics, he said that currently only 74 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats are held by women, and if this law had been passed earlier, this number could have increased significantly.
He said that it is the responsibility of Congress for not giving women their due share.
Citing the example of Madhya Pradesh, Yadav said the number of women MPs from the state could have increased from six to 14, and there could have been a significant increase in representation in the Assembly too with reserved seats for women in all categories.
Stepping up his attack, Yadav accused the Congress of historic lapses including stalling census-related work and suppressing important reports.
He also linked the constitutional amendments made during the Emergency to efforts to limit democratic representation.
Presenting this debate as a broader issue of governance, Yadav said that the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has ensured inclusive development in all the states despite political differences.
He further said that increasing women’s participation will challenge established political structures including dynastic politics.
Calling for consensus, the Chief Minister urged the members to rise above partisan views.
She said that women have not got their rights for decades and now the time has come to correct this injustice. She warned that the continued protests reflected a lack of commitment to women’s empowerment.
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