Tensions escalated in the national capital after several senior BJP leaders and party workers staged a protest march against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi following the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill linked to women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha.
The protest, led by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Minister Raksha Khadse and Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, saw party workers raising slogans against the Congress leader and accusing the opposition of blocking women’s political empowerment.
BJP leaders accuse opposition of betraying women
The protest also saw the participation of BJP MPs Bansuri Swaraj, Hema Malini, Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Manoj Tiwari.
During the demonstration, Bansuri Swaraj accused the opposition alliance of treating women merely as a vote bank and refusing to share political power.
She said the voting pattern on the bill had exposed the “political tactics” of the opposition and proved that the INDIA alliance was unwilling to support genuine women’s empowerment.
Protest intensifies outside Rahul Gandhi’s residence
BJP workers burned an effigy of Rahul Gandhi during the protest, after which police detained several leaders and workers, including Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Bansuri Swaraj.
Water cannons were also used to disperse protesters as security was tightened outside Rahul Gandhi’s residence amid fears of further escalation.
Heavy police deployment remained in place as BJP workers continued to accuse the opposition of deliberately bringing down the bill.
Rekha Gupta launches sharp attack on Congress
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said women in India had faced repeated setbacks over the issue of reservation and accused opposition parties of constantly finding excuses to delay implementation.
She questioned the opposition’s repeated objections to delimitation, seat allocation and sub-quotas, and accused them of hypocrisy on women’s rights.
Rekha Gupta also criticised the opposition’s past stand on the Triple Talaq law, saying those claiming to support Muslim women had earlier opposed reforms aimed at protecting them.
BJP says amendment was needed for implementation
Kamaljeet Sehrawat defended the amendment, saying delimitation was essential to identify which constituencies would be reserved for women.
She argued that the opposition was creating confusion by opposing the amendment while claiming to support reservation.
According to Sehrawat, the government had made implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill a priority, but the opposition blocked the process for political reasons.
Political confrontation intensifies
The Constitution Amendment Bill, introduced to operationalise the women’s reservation law passed in 2023, failed in the Lok Sabha after the opposition voted against it.
The BJP has now turned the bill’s defeat into a political campaign, accusing the INDIA alliance of deceiving women voters.
With protests intensifying and both sides blaming each other, the political battle over women’s reservation is likely to remain at the centre of national politics in the coming days.
Q1. Why did BJP protest against Rahul Gandhi?
BJP accused Rahul Gandhi and the opposition of blocking the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill.
Q2. Who led the BJP protest?
Leaders including Rekha Gupta, Raksha Khadse and Virendra Sachdeva led the protest.
Q3. What happened during the protest?
BJP workers burned Rahul Gandhi’s effigy and police used water cannons to disperse protesters.
Q4. Why was the amendment bill important?
The amendment was introduced to implement the Women’s Reservation law passed in 2023.
