PM Modi apologises to mothers and sisters after women's reservation bill fails in Lok Sabha, calls Congress 'anti-reform, selfish'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday apologised to the mothers and sisters of the country after the Women's Reservation Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha, as the opposition voted against it and the government failed to secure the two-thirds majority required for the constitutional amendment to be passed.

"I have come here today to speak to the mothers, sisters, and daughters of our nation," the Prime Minister said, adding, "We were not successful in passing the Women's Reservation Bill." "I sincerely apologize to the mothers and sisters of our nation," he said, expressing regret.

PM Modi then launched a scathing attack on the opposition for blocking the government's move to amend legislation on women's reservation and delimitation bills. He called the Opposition a group of opportunists who work only for themselves at the cost of the women of the country.

"Due to the opposition parties' narrow and self-serving politics, the mothers and sisters of our nation had to bear the consequences," PM Modi added.

Further slamming the opposition he said,"When the bill was defeated, these dynastic parties were clapping."

PM Modi also warned that women across India would remember those who blocked the bill. On the opposition's celebrations in the Lok Sabha after the bill was defeated, he said that when these leaders return to their constituencies, women would recall how they "rejoiced" after preventing women from getting their due place in Parliament.

PM Modi's nation to the adress comes just a day after the bills were defeated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched an acerbic attack on the Congress, accusing it of spreading misinformation on delimitation, adopting an "anti-reform" approach, and pursuing "negative politics" that harms national interest.

He said the Congress is following a policy of divide and rule, which he alleged it inherited from the British, and is spreading misinformation that delimitation would adversely impact certain states.

Addressing the nation a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill on women's reservation failed to get clearance in the Lok Sabha, PM Modi said the issue is not limited to a single piece of legislation but part of a broader political contest against what he described as dynastic parties that are anti-reform, adding that the struggle would continue.

"The Bill was not an attempt to take credit but to give rights to half of the population," the Prime Minister said, adding that efforts to provide reservation to women have been pending for decades due to what he termed as selfish politics by parties such as the Congress.

"I am as sad as all women who are unhappy over the non-passage of the Bill. We may not have been able to garner 66 per cent vote in its support, but 100 per cent of Nari Shakti is with us," he said, vowing to overcome all hurdles in implementing women's reservation.

Launching a broadside on the Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, and Samajwadi Party, he said these dynastic parties do not want women who are performing well in panchayats and local bodies to compete with their leaders in Parliament and state Assemblies.

"The dynastic parties are afraid that if seats for women are increased, then the stature of common women would grow and they would overshadow these parties' leaders," he said.

The Prime Minister said the Congress has consistently opposed reforms aimed at building a 'Viksit Bharat'.

He cited examples such as the GST, CAA, UCC, abrogation of Article 370, Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, digital payments, 'One Nation, One Poll', SIR, measures against LWE, and steps to counter illegal immigration as reforms opposed by the Congress.

Calling the Congress a predatory party pursuing selfish politics, he said its stand on the women's quota Bill has adversely impacted its regional allies, including the DMK, Trinamool Congress, and Samajwadi Party.

"By supporting the women's quota, the DMK and the Trinanool Congress had an opportunity to send more MPs from their states to Parliament. But they squandered the opportunity," he said.

He added that the Samajwadi Party also had a chance to address its perceived anti-women image by supporting the Bill but failed to do so.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament, failed to secure the constitutionally required two-thirds majority. It garnered 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short of the 352 votes required for passage.

The Prime Minister said the outcome of the Bill has exposed what he described as a pattern among opposition parties of opposing women's reservation on various grounds, adding that women voters would respond to this in due course.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill aimed to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha from the existing 543 to 816, to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women. While 298 members voted in favour of the legislation, 230 MPs voted against it. The bill was defeated because, out of the 528 members who voted, it required 352 votes to secure a two-thirds majority.

Two other bills, including one on delimitation and increasing the number of seats in the lower house, were not put to a vote after the first one failed, with the Centre stating that they were "intrinsically linked" to the women's reservation legislation.