Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi hailed the opposition's unity in blocking the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which aimed to implement a 33% women's quota in the Lok Sabha. The bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, with the opposition denying the government the required two-thirds majority.
The opposition's primary grievance centered on the government's decision to link the implementation of the 33% women's quota to the 2029 general elections and the completion of a fresh census and delimitation exercise.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that the legislation was never intended to empower women immediately but was instead a calculated move to push through the controversial Delimitation Bill.
The opposition parties, including Congress, hailed the defeat as a victory for democracy and a defeat for the government's 'unconstitutional trick.'
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed disappointment at the outcome, accusing the opposition of being 'anti-women.'
The defeat marks a rare moment of effective parliamentary resistance for the INDIA bloc, which managed to deny the government the required two-thirds majority.
