'Might Not Have 66% Votes, But We Have 100% Support Of Women': PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched a strong attack on the Opposition for blocking the government's move to amend legislation on women's quota and two other bills. He called the Opposition a group of opportunists who work only for themselves at the expense of the women of the country.

"The selfish politics of the Opposition including Congress, Trinamool and Samajwadi Party have robbed women of their rights," PM Modi said in an address to the nation this evening, a day after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) failed to push an amendment legislation on women's quota and two other bills in the Lok Sabha. "Even though we did not get the necessary 66 per cent votes to pass the bill, I know that 100 per cent of the country's women power is with us," PM Modi added.

"In parliament, leaders of the Congress, DMK, Trinamool and Samajwadi Party were clapping in defeating the bill. They clapped as they took away what women of the country were entitled to get. It is an attack on women's self-respect... A woman may forget anything, but will never forget injustice done to her," PM Modi said.

He warned that women will punish the Opposition leaders who "celebrated and rejoiced in the hall of parliament when the hope for women's reservation was extinguished."

"The women of this nation - whenever they encounter these leaders in their own neighbourhoods, they will remember. They will remember that these are the very individuals who celebrated and rejoiced in the halls of parliament when the hope for women's reservation was extinguished," PM Modi said.

"I will speak plainly: the parties that opposed the Nari Shakti Vandan Amendment are taking the women of India for granted. They fail to realise that the woman of the 21st century is watching every move; she perceives their true intentions and understands the reality of their actions. For the sin the Opposition has committed by blocking this reservation, they will surely face justice. By doing so, these parties have not only insulted the women of today but have also dishonored the vision of our Constitution's founders. They will not escape the public's retribution.

"This amendment was never about taking anything away from anyone. It was an act of giving. It was a sacred effort to finally grant women the rights that have been denied to them for 40 long years - to ensure those rights are realised by the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029.

"... It was a sincere, honest, and holy attempt to give 50 per cent of our population their rightful due. It was an effort to make women equal partners in India's journey of progress. It is the call of the times. This was an effort to strengthen every corner of our land - North, South, East, and West - and to amplify the voice of every state in parliament, regardless of its size or population. It was an attempt to empower everyone in equal measure," PM Modi said in the address to the nation.

In the strongest remark yet since the bill failed to clear the house yesterday, PM Modi said the Congress and its allies "have committed foeticide of this honest endeavour." He called the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK and other opposition parties the "perpetrators of this act."

"They have committed an offence against the Constitution, against the womanhood of this country. The truth is, they harbour a deep-seated resentment toward the very idea of women's reservation. History shows they have consistently conspired to block it; every time progress was within reach, the Congress placed hurdles in the way. They relied on a succession of lies, distorting numbers and using various tactics to mislead the nation. In doing so, these parties have finally dropped their masks, revealing their true faces to the women of India," PM Modi said.

"I had personally hoped that the Congress would take this moment to rectify the mistakes of decades past and atone for its previous actions. But they have failed to stand with women and lost their chance to be on the right side of history. Today, the Congress has reached a point where it has lost its very relevance in most parts of the country.

Yesterday's loss for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha will not deter the government from pursuing the matter, people with direct knowledge of the matter said earlier today. The NDA is speaking to stakeholders on finding another way to get the bill pass a second test in parliament, sources told NDTV, amid a massive protest led by BJP leaders including Hema Malini outside Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's house in Delhi.

The government wants to empower women, who form at least half of the country's population, and no amount of Opposition tactics can stop the march of "Nari Shakti", sources said, without giving details about the ways the NDA is exploring to bring back the legislation for the ultimate test.

The NDA needed to shore up support from other parties or make some of them abstain from voting to have its way. The NDA has the support of 293 members in the Lok Sabha, which is 54 per cent of the house; the Opposition has 233 MPs. In the upper house, however, the NDA has 141 members in their favour, which is 58 per cent of the upper house, and the Opposition has 83 MPs in support.