Nagaland Pradesh Mahila Congress criticises BJP Mahila Morcha over women’s reservation, calling it political hypocrisy and delay tactics.
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DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Pradesh Mahila Congress (NPMC) has made a scathing attack on the rival BJP Mahila Morcha (BJMM)’s ‘sudden love’ for women’s reservation and termed the move as nothing but political hypocrisy and election opportunism.
In a statement on Tuesday, the NPMC stated that the recent statement of the Nagaland unit of BJMM in advocating reservation for women was not only misleading but also an attempt to rewrite history and take credit for what the Congress party has already delivered decades ago.
“It is a well-established fact that it was the Congress government under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao that brought the historic 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments in 1992, ensuring 33% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies across India.
“This revolutionary step institutionalised women’s political participation at the grassroots level and empowered lakhs of women across the country,” it stated.
Reminding that the Congress has consistently supported increase in reservation for women up to 50%, it stated that many states—under Congress influence—have already implemented higher quotas, proving its genuine commitment to women empowerment.
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Accusing the BJP of maintaining double standards, the Mahila Congress questioned as to why the Modi government did not implement 33% reservation immediately after passing the Reservation for Women Act, 2023, and why was it linked to delimitation and census, pushing implementation to 2029 instead of giving immediate representation if the party was truly committed to women’s empowerment.
It stated that the recent development to delay its implementation till after 2029 elections has clearly exposed BJP’s lack of sincerity.
On the contrary, it claimed that Congress has always taken a clear and progressive stand in its demand for immediate implementation of reservation for women and also advocated greater representation (upto 50%).
Besides, it stated that Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, have consistently raised the issue in Parliament and public forums.
The NPMC further accused the BJP of trying to use women’s reservation as an election slogan ahead of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal elections, after sitting on the issue for years.
Meanwhile, it has sought answers from BJMM as to why the BJP did not bring immediate reservation in 2014, 2019 or even 2024 and why was women’s empowerment being used as a political tool instead of a constitutional commitment?
The NPMC asserted that Congress party does not believe in symbolic politics but believed in real empowerment, timely implementation and genuine representation of women at every level—from Panchayats to Parliament.
Accusing the BJP of delaying and politicising the issue for electoral gains, the NPMC advised the Nagaland BJMM to stop misleading the people and acknowledge the historic role of Congress in empowering women across India.