Monsoon session yet to be prorogued, BJP, Congress face off over women’s bill

New Delhi witnessed a clash between the BJP and Congress over a women's empowerment bill, as the latter sought to challenge the opposition leader's stance. BJP's Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accused Rahul Gandhi of opposing the government's pursuit of early implementation of quota for women in Lok Sabha and assemblies, questioning whether his words matched his actions.

The BJP further framed its attack around the women's quota, with the impending monsoon session yet to be prorogued, hinting at the government's possibility of summoning the two Houses at short notice for the implementation of the Constitution amendment bill from 2029, with a nearly 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress, in turn, pointed out the BJP's search for a "super tainted" majority in the Lok Sabha, accusing the government of attempting to split opposition parties to achieve the two-thirds majority needed for the bill's passage. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh noted that the gap between the adjournment and prorogation of Parliament usually lasts two to four days, but the monsoon session, which concluded on August 13, has not yet been prorogued.

The BJP intensified its attack on Rahul Gandhi, with Fadnavis claiming the opposition leader spoke about women's empowerment from a public platform but opposed the most revolutionary step to give women their rightful place. In response, BJP spokesperson Smriti Irani urged Rahul Gandhi to positively react to Prime Minister Modi's appeal for political parties to support the implementation of the women's quota.

The Congress and its allies, however, advocated freezing the Lok Sabha's strength at its current number and implementing the quota within that cap.

Speculation has been rampant regarding the revival of the bill to amend the women's quota law, which was defeated in April, while the government has remained non-committal regarding any such move. Lok Sabha's Deputy Speaker reiterated his opposition to the bill, while Congress and its allies insisted on maintaining the existing Lok Sabha strength and executing the quota within that limit.