Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Saturday, a day after the Women's Reservation Bill was defeated in Parliament. Earlier in the day, PM Modi told his Cabinet that the Opposition had committed a mistake by blocking the bill.
I have come to speak with the mothers, sisters, and daughters of this nation. Today, every citizen of India is witnessing how the flight of India's woman power (Nari Shakti) has been halted and how their dreams have been ruthlessly crushed. Despite our best efforts, we were not successful. The amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam could not be passed. For this, I seek forgiveness from all the mothers and sisters.
For us, the interest of the nation is paramount. But when for some people, 'party interest' becomes everything, when the party becomes greater than the country, then our women's power and the national interest have to pay the price. This is exactly what has happened this time as well. The nation's woman power has had to suffer the consequences of the selfish politics of parties like the Congress, DMK, TMC, and the Samajwadi Party.
Yesterday, the eyes of crores of women across the country were on the Parliament. It was deeply painful to see that when this proposal for women's welfare fell, dynastic parties like the Congress and SP were clapping with joy. After snatching away the rights of women, these people were thumping their desks. What they did was not just a thump on the table; it was a blow to the dignity and self-respect of women. A woman may forget many things, but she never forgets an insult. Therefore, the pain caused by the behaviour of the Congress and its allies in Parliament will always remain in the heart of every woman.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Amendment was a Mahayagya, a noble mission, to clear the path of obstacles and give the women of 21st-century India the wings to fly toward new horizons. It was a sincere, honest, and holy attempt to give 50% of our population, our 'Aadhi Aabadi', 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.
Before the eyes of the entire nation, the Congress and its allies have committed the 'foeticide' of this honest endeavour. Parties like the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and the DMK are the perpetrators of this act. They have committed an offence against the Constitution and 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, 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.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, Congress has reached a point where it has lost its very relevance in most parts of the country.
Congress has orchestrated the opposition to this amendment as a political conspiracy to push the future of many regional parties into darkness, rather than allowing their strength to grow. For so many years, the Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC, and other parties have been manufacturing the same hollow excuses and spinning the same tired arguments. By entangling the process in one technical glitch after another, they have continued to commit a 'dacoity' - a robbery of the rights of women.
The nation now fully understands this shameful pattern of politics and the hidden motives behind it. Come, my sisters, let us look at the real reason for this opposition to the Nari Shakti Vandan Act: it is the deep-seated fear within these dynastic parties. They are terrified that if women become truly empowered, the leadership of these family-run parties will be in jeopardy. They will never want women from outside their own families to move forward.
Today, hundreds of thousands of women have proven their mettle in Panchayats and local bodies. But the moment these women want to step forward to serve the nation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, an intense sense of insecurity grips these dynasts. They know that after delimitation, there will be far more seats for women, and the stature of women will rise. This is why they have opposed this amendment. The women of this country will never forgive Congress and its allies for this sin.
Even though we did not get the necessary 66% votes to pass the bill today, I know that 100% of the country's women power is with us. I assure every woman in the country: we will eliminate every obstacle that comes in the way of women's reservation. Our morale is high, our courage is unbreakable, and our intention is firm.
