महिला आरक्षण… बिल से बाहर निकला मुद्दा, मिलते हैं सड़क और चुनावी मंच पर – women reservation delimitation bill bjp amit shah modi loksabha strategy ntcpdr
After the corridors of Lok Sabha, the issue of ‘women’s reservation’ is sure to take center stage in election rallies. The Constitution Amendment Bill introduced by the Modi government to ensure reservation and delimitation for women failed to cross the two-thirds majority threshold. But the political script behind this legislative failure is telling a different story. The failure of the bill was perhaps part of a ‘strategy’, which has given the BJP an infallible and sharp electoral weapon against the opposition.
As soon as the failure of the bill was announced, the scene seen inside and outside the House was no less than a staged drama. Women MPs of the ruling party came out holding placards and banners and raising anti-opposition slogans. This protest seemed less spontaneous and more pre-planned. As if messages were printed simultaneously on bills and placards. The message was clear – ‘We tried for women, the opposition stopped us.’
Home Minister Shah’s attack on the opposition in the House for one hour and 10 minutes was the foundation of this strategy. He not only questioned the intentions of the opposition, but also presented his government as the sole protector of women’s rights. It was clear from this aggressive attitude that the government was already mentally prepared for this outcome. In the middle of his speech, Shah also said – ‘I know that if he does not vote, women reservation bill Will fall. But the women of this country are seeing who is standing in their way.
Bill’s flaws or strategic ‘catch’?
There were many fundamental shortcomings in the design of the bill. The biggest question was whether the government really wanted it to be passed in this form? The absence of a clear provision in the bill to increase seats by 50 percent was its weakest link. However, during the debate Amit Shah They seemed ready to register it, but when it came to linking it to the census and a concrete time limit, the government stepped back.
The opposition’s argument that without caste census and clear timeline, this bill is just an ‘electoral gimmick’ holds its weight. But BJP left no stone unturned to give this argument an ‘anti-women’ color. The government’s attitude was like ‘accept unconditionally what we are giving’. This shows that his aim was not to pass the bill, but to set a narrative.
delimitation And the endless web of census
Linking women’s reservation in the bill with delimitation and the next census was like pushing it into the future. When the opposition demanded its immediate implementation, the government postponed it due to technical difficulties. This is the point where BJP’s sharp strategy comes to light. Had the bill been passed, it would have got credit, but with the bill being defeated, BJP has got the opportunity to play the card of ‘Victim’ and ‘Injustice’, which proves to be more effective in election rallies.
For BJP, this defeat is actually a prelude to a big victory. Now the main slogan of BJP in the upcoming assembly and Lok Sabha elections will be ‘anti-women face of the opposition’. The party cadre will now go from village to village to tell that Prime Minister Modi wanted to give their rights to half the population, but the ‘arrogant’ alliance brought it down.
If we do a ‘postmortem’ of the ruling party’s strategy, it becomes clear that in this entire incident, women and their representation were only a means, the real objective was to siege the opposition. Prime Minister Modi had already said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday that if the opposition wants that I should not get credit for this, then it can do so by supporting the bill.
BJP has very cleverly put the ball in the opposition’s court. Now the opposition will have to go on the defensive and explain why they dropped the bill, while the BJP will go on the offensive and publicize it as a ‘betrayal’ of women.
Defeat in Parliament, victory in election field
This bill may have lost in the numerical strength of the Lok Sabha, but it is going to prove to be a political ‘booster dose’ for the BJP. BJP has ‘passed’ an issue which it will fearlessly use in the coming elections.
Now this slogan is ready to be heard in election rallies – ‘The opposition has betrayed the mothers and sisters of the country.’ This strategy of BJP can take it closer to those women voters who are emotionally connected to this issue. After all, this defeat of the House has emerged as a big pawn on the electoral chessboard of BJP, which will be a big challenge for the opposition to counter. Rahul Gandhi is saying- ‘He has not opposed women’s reservation, he has opposed delimitation’. But will BJP allow the public, especially women, to hear his explanation?
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