A political debate over the Women’s Reservation Bill intensified in Nagaland on Tuesday after the BJP Mahila Morcha Dimapur Unit accused opposition parties of spreading misinformation and creating obstacles to the implementation of the proposed reservation for women in Parliament.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP Dimapur District Office, leaders of the BJP Mahila Morcha defended the proposed legislation and criticised opposition parties, particularly the Congress, for what they described as politically motivated opposition to the bill.
Speaking at the programme organised on the theme “Attack on Women’s Rights due to Negativity of Congress & Opposition,” BJP leader Shekishe Awomi said the press conference was held to counter what he called misleading narratives surrounding the women’s reservation proposal.
Awomi said the BJP-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced the proposal to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament with the aim of increasing women’s participation in governance and decision-making.
He alleged that opposition parties were deliberately misrepresenting the intention behind the legislation. According to him, linking the 2023 women’s reservation legislation with future delimitation and expansion of parliamentary seats was part of a structured process for implementation and not an attempt to delay the measure.
Awomi also claimed that the interests and representation of Northeastern states would remain protected during any future delimitation exercise.
BJP state council member Er. Kahuli Sema also criticised opposition parties over the issue. She expressed disappointment over the repeated failure of earlier women’s reservation proposals and accused opposition parties of taking contradictory positions by publicly supporting women’s reservation while allegedly failing to support it effectively in Parliament.
She described it as a lost opportunity for women across the country and said stronger political commitment was needed to ensure greater participation of women in legislative bodies.
Dimapur Mahila Morcha president Aboli V. Awomi appealed to women from different political backgrounds to support the reservation proposal. She said greater representation of women in Parliament would strengthen women’s voices in policymaking and governance.
