Guwahati, April 20: The Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress on Monday launched an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of spreading a “misleading narrative” around the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill and delaying its implementation. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress President Mira Borthakur alleged that the BJP was attempting to portray opposition parties as anti-women while deflecting attention from the Centre’s failure to operationalise the legislation passed in 2023.
She questioned the delay in enforcing the bill, arguing that the government’s decision to link its implementation to the delimitation process based on the 2011 Census was unjustified. According to her, such conditions were unnecessary and only served to postpone granting 33 per cent reservation to women in legislative bodies.
Using a sharp metaphor, Borthakur accused the BJP of adopting a dual strategy, claiming the party “creates problems and then pretends to resolve them,” adding that voters are increasingly aware of such tactics. Highlighting the Congress party’s record, she said it has historically supported women’s empowerment and reiterated that the opposition fully backs the immediate rollout of the reservation without additional riders. She also claimed that Congress has consistently fielded a higher number of women candidates in elections compared to the BJP.
The Mahila Congress leader further criticised the ruling party over issues concerning women’s safety and rights, alleging a gap between its public claims and actual performance on the ground.
Referring to statements made by senior Congress leaders, she said the party remains committed to implementing the women’s reservation based on the current strength of the Lok Sabha, without waiting for future exercises like delimitation. Borthakur urged citizens to remain cautious and not be influenced by what she described as political propaganda.
She asserted that Congress would continue to advocate for women’s rights and push for the immediate enforcement of the long-pending reservation measure. –IANS
