PM Modi to address nation tonight
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation tonight at 8.30 pm.
The development comes a day after the women's reservation bill failed to clear the Lok Sabha test following a show of unity by the opposition.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister chaired a Cabinet meeting in which he strongly criticised the Opposition for blocking the Women’s Reservation Bill, saying they had made a “serious mistake” and would have to “pay a heavy price” politically.
He said the women of the country would not forgive those responsible for preventing a landmark measure aimed at ensuring reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposed women’s reservation, required a two-thirds majority of 352 votes in the 543-member Lok Sabha. However, it received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, resulting in its defeat.
Following the setback, the government did not take up the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, stating that both were linked to the passage of the primary legislation.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led Opposition accused the government of using the Women’s Reservation Bill as a pretext to advance a wider plan involving the redrawing of India’s electoral boundaries through delimitation.
The Opposition said it supported women’s reservation in principle but objected to the government’s approach to its implementation. It also argued that women’s reservation should be implemented immediately within the current strength of the Lok Sabha.
