New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a strong appeal to all political parties to come together and extend their support to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, stressing the need to ensure greater representation for women in politics and enable them to play a larger role in shaping the country’s policies.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, PM Modi highlighted the growing participation of women in grassroots governance and said their leadership in Panchayats, Municipalities and Municipal Corporations has demonstrated their ability to address local challenges and provide effective leadership.
“Today in Panchayats, Municipalities, and Municipal Corporations, our women public representatives are guiding the nation in very large numbers, solving local challenges, and providing exceptionally capable and empowering leadership,” PM Modi said.
He recalled that Parliament had passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam to provide greater political representation to women, but said the issue had remained entangled in political disagreements for decades.
“Keeping this in mind, we had passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament. But for one reason or another, in the political arena over the last 40 years, this dream had persistently fallen victim to political games and political battlegrounds,” he said.
Making a direct appeal to political parties from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister urged them to rise above political differences and work towards ensuring that women receive their due share of representation in state legislatures and the Lok Sabha.
“Today, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, standing under the shadow of the Tricolour, I earnestly appeal to and urge all political parties of our nation: Come forward and celebrate the strength and capability of our women. Step forward in honour of our women, and as swiftly as possible, ensure our mothers and sisters receive their due representation in the State Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha so that they can actively contribute to shaping India’s policies,” he added.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 was introduced with the objective of operationalising and expediting the 33 per cent reservation for women provided under the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, originally enacted as the 106th Amendment Act, 2023, ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The Prime Minister’s appeal comes against the backdrop of hurdles faced by the enabling amendment Bill in Parliament, where its passage requires the constitutionally mandated two-thirds special majority.
The proposed legislation has also triggered an intense political debate over its linkage with changes in parliamentary seat allocation based on population and the delimitation framework. Opposition parties and several regional groups have raised concerns over the impact of such changes on federal balance and the political representation of different states and regions.
The debate has particularly centred on the manner and timing of women’s reservation, as well as the proposed delimitation exercise, with parties expressing differing views over how the changes could affect the distribution of seats and representation across the country.
–IANS
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