‘Desperate and frustrated PM’: Kharge targets PM Modi over women’s bill defeat speech

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday (April 18) targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent address to the nation, alleging misuse of official machinery during the Model Code of Conduct.

“A desperate and frustrated PM with nothing meaningful to show for the last 12 years turned an official address to the nation into a political speech full of mudslinging and outright lies. The Model Code of Conduct is already in place, and it was clear how PM Modi misused official machinery to attack his opponents. This is a travesty of democracy and the Constitution of India,” Kharge said.

Kharge’s remarks came after the defeat of the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Friday, which stalled the proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats to 850 and delayed the rollout of 33 per cent women’s reservation. Following the setback, Modi launched a sharp attack on opposition parties, accusing them of celebrating the failure of a key reform.

Addressing the nation, Modi said parties such as Congress, DMK, TMC and the Samajwadi Party were “happy and celebrating” when the bill failed in Parliament and had “insulted the women of India”. He warned that women would not forgive them for this. “Dynastic parties were laughing after taking away women's rights,” he said.

The Prime Minister alleged that opposition parties prioritised politics over public interest. “Due to the opposition parties' narrow and self-serving politics, the mothers and sisters of our nation had to bear the consequences,” he said, while also apologising to the nation’s “mothers and daughters” over the bill’s defeat.

Also Read: PM Modi apologises to women over quota bill setback, slams Congress as ‘anti-reform party’

“Yesterday, crores of women had their eyes on Parliament. The country's women's power was witnessing everything. It deeply pained me to see that when the proposal was defeated, dynastic parties like Congress, DMK, TMC and SP were clapping in joy,” he said.

Emphasising the emotional impact, Modi added, “A woman can forget everything, but she never forgets her insult. The behaviour of Congress and its allies in Parliament will remain a lasting pain in every woman's heart.”

The bill failed to secure the mandatory two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. While the NDA secured 298 votes in favour, the INDIA bloc opposed it with 230 votes, arguing that linking women’s reservation to delimitation could affect the political balance of southern and northeastern states. Despite a simple majority among the 528 members present, the bill fell 54 votes short of the required “special majority”.