‘Like a Parasite, Congress Piggybacks on Regional Parties’: PM Modi’s Sharpest Attack on Congress Over Women’s Reservation Bill

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday strongly criticized dynastic opposition parties for their role in blocking the women's reservation proposal in Parliament, accusing them of celebrating at the expense of women's rights and self-respect.

In a direct address to the nation, PM Modi expressed deep “sadness” over the scenes in Parliament when the proposal related to women's welfare was defeated. He said parties like Congress, DMK, TMC, and Samajwadi Party were "clapping with joy" and "thumping the table" after what he described as snatching away women's rights.

"This was an attack on women's self-respect and self-esteem. Women forget everything, but they never forget their own insults. Therefore, the pain of the behaviour of the Congress and its allies in Parliament will always remain in every woman's heart," the Prime Minister said.

"Whenever women across the country see these leaders in their constituencies, they will remember that these same people celebrated and rejoiced when women's reservation was blocked in Parliament," he added.

Speaking specifically on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Power Respect Act), PM Modi highlighted what he called a long-standing "ugly pattern of politics" by the opposition.

"Congress, SP, DMK, TMC and other parties have made the same excuse all these years. Raising some technical issue, they have looted the rights of women. The nation has understood this ugly pattern of politics and has understood the reason behind this," he remarked.

The Prime Minister issued a stern warning to the parties that opposed the amendment, stating that women of the 21st century are closely watching every development and are fully aware of their intentions.

"I will say clearly to those parties who opposed the Nari Shakti Vandan Amendment in Parliament yesterday: These people are taking women's power for granted. They are forgetting that women of the twenty-first century are closely monitoring every event in the country. They understand their intentions and are fully aware of the truth. Therefore, the opposition will surely be punished for the sin they have committed by opposing women's reservation," PM Modi asserted.

He also expressed personal disappointment with the Congress party, saying he had hoped it would use the opportunity to correct its "decades-old mistake" and atone for past actions.

"Personally, I had hopes that the Congress would rectify its decades-old mistake, that it would atone for its sins. But Congress lost the opportunity to script history and stand in support of women," he said.

PM Modi further described the current state of the Congress, claiming it has "lost its existence in most regions of the country" and survives by "piggybacking" on regional parties like a parasite, while simultaneously preventing those allies from growing stronger.

"So, it hatched the political conspiracy of pushing the future of several regional parties into darkness by making them oppose this amendment," the Prime Minister alleged.

PM Narendra Modi further said, "Congress and its allies are continuously lying over delimitation. They want to fan the flames of division under this pretext. Congress has learned the politics of divide and rule from the British as its heritage. Even today, Congress is functioning on the same. Congress has always fanned the sentiments which create fractures within the country. So, misinformation was spread that delimitation would cause a loss to a few states. But the Govt has made it clear from the first day itself that neither the proportion of a state's representation will change nor will anyone's representation be lower. Seats of all states will be increased in an equal proportion. Still, Congress, DMK, TMC, SP and other parties are not ready to accept this."

"Congress hates the topic of women’s reservation and has always conspired to stop this... Whenever efforts were made in this direction, Congress always put obstacles. This time as well, Congress and its allies used one or the other lies to stop this... They tried to mislead the nation,” he added.

The sharp remarks come amid ongoing political debate over women's reservation and empowerment issues, with the government positioning the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam as a landmark step for gender equality that the opposition has repeatedly attempted to undermine through procedural excuses.

PM Modi framed the opposition's actions as not just a parliamentary setback but a deep betrayal that Indian women will remember for years to come.

Also Read: ‘Nari Shakti’ Had to Bear Brunt of Selfish Politics by Cong, DMK, TMC, SP': PM Modi on Women’s Quota Blocked in Parliament