New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a stern critique of the opposition during the cabinet meeting on Saturday, asserting that their failure to support the Women’s Reservation Bill was a "mistake" that would carry major political consequences.

The Prime Minister’s remarks followed the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Despite a 298–230 majority in favour of the legislation, the Bill failed to reach the constitutionally mandated two-thirds threshold required for passage.

"Opposition must face the consequences and answer the women," sources quoted the Prime Minister as saying during the cabinet session. "They have let down the women of the country. This message must be taken to every single person, to every single village."

A Defeated Mandate

The legislative package aimed to reserve 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. However, the proposal became a lightning rod for a fierce debate that began on Thursday and stretched into the early hours of Friday.

While the government framed the Bill as a historic step for gender equality, opposition leaders argued the approach was a "smokescreen" for a broader redistricting of India’s electoral map.

The Delimitation Controversy

Central to the opposition’s resistance were concerns regarding the upcoming delimitation exercise. Critics, led by the Congress and various regional parties, expressed fears that the southern states would face diminished representation in Parliament once the electoral boundaries are redrawn.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi characterised the Bill as a "panic reaction" and an attempt to alter the country’s electoral structure. Gandhi claimed the legislation was an "attack on the Constitution" and called the government’s efforts "nothing short of an anti-national act."

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a senior Congress MP, celebrated the Bill’s defeat on Saturday as a "victory of opposition unity."

Government Assurances

Prior to the vote, Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah sought to quell anxieties regarding regional representation. The Prime Minister offered a "personal guarantee" that the southern states would not face injustice under a proposed expansion of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats.

"Let all of us not miss this important opportunity to give reservations to women," the Prime Minister told the House. "I have come to appeal to you—do not see this from a political lens, this is in national interest."

Minister Shah reinforced this stance, projecting that the number of MPs from South India would actually increase from 129 to 195 under the proposed 50% seat-increase model. He accused the Congress of "manufacturing issues" to deprive women of their rights.

Fallout and "Black Stains"

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju echoed the Prime Minister’s sentiments, describing the opposition's blockade as a "black stain on the Congress and its allies—one that they will never be able to erase."

As the special session of Parliament concluded Saturday, the political divide remained sharp. While the opposition prepares to write to the Prime Minister demanding the implementation of the 2023 version of the Bill without the delimitation link, the government has signalled it will take its grievance directly to the electorate, framing the defeat as a betrayal of the nation’s women.