New Delhi:
Several top BJP leaders including MPs Hema Malini and Bansuri Swaraj led a massive crowd of supporters toward Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s house in Delhi, a day after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government failed to push an amendment legislation on women’s quota and two other bills.
The BJP’s attacks on the Congress and other opposition parties came on all fronts, from the streets to social media. “Dhokebaaz (traitor)”, read a poster shared on X by the BJP’s Delhi unit, whose chief Virendra Sachdeva joined the party’s women leaders in the march toward Rahul Gandhi’s house.
“Half of the country’s population will never forgive these villains who stopped the 33 per cent reservation for women power,” the Delhi BJP said in the post accompanying the “Dhokebaaz” poster on X.
नारी शक्ति की 33% आरक्षण को रोकने वाले इन खलनायकों को देश की आधी आबादी कभी माफ नहीं करेगी ! pic.twitter.com/6KM9kOSrUQ
— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) April 18, 2026
Other BJP leaders who joined the protest include MPs Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Manju Sharma, councillor Yogita Singh, and party vice-president Lata Gupta. They held black flags and wrapped black hands around their forehead.
They carried placards with slogans attacking the Opposition for disrespecting “nari shakti”.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta joined the marching protesters and shouted slogans.
“Phool nahi chingari hai, hum Bharat ki naari hai; Mahilaon ka ye apman nahi sahega hindustan (We are not flowers, we are sparks; we are the women of India; India will not tolerate this insult to women),” Gupta said, news agency IANS reported.
In a post on X, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave a shoutout to Tamil Nadu alliance partner AIADMK’s leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) for his comment that “Tamil Nadu has lost the opportunity to increase their political power and its rightful share of 20 more MP seats.”
Sitharaman said EPS’ message “captures effectively how the hate-filled opposition led by Congress, Rahul Gandhi and MK Stalin have made Tamil Nadu lose out on an opportunity for women’s representation in parliament and assembly.
“Blind hate has damaged the prospects of the state in general and women in particular. Due to the short-sighted, stubborn, visionless and anti-women DMK, Tamil Nadu may end up losing more, instead of gaining. You refused to be a part of a win-win proposition, as assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Sitharaman said in the post on X.
Former CM of TN Thiru @EPSTamilNadu captures effectively how the hate-filled opposition led by @INCIndia @RahulGandhi and by @arivalayam Thiru @mkstalin have made TN lose out on an opportunity for women’s representation in the Parliament and Assembly. Blind hate has damaged the… https://t.co/wXvm2zNdBa
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 18, 2026
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, had proposed 33 per cent reservation for women in parliament and assemblies along with an increase in the strength of the Lok Sabha. It failed to get the required two-thirds majority in the lower house despite an extensive debate.
The bill received 298 votes in favour and 230 against in the Lok Sabha, falling short of the constitutional threshold required for passage. The NDA accused the Opposition of blocking a landmark reform.
The government defended the bill as a necessary step to address long-standing gaps in women’s representation and to restructure parliamentary seats based on population changes since the 1971 census. The Opposition, however, alleged the proposal was linked to broader electoral restructuring and raised concerns over federal balance and political intent.
