NPMC slams BJP mahila morcha’s ‘hypocrisy’ on women quota

The Nagaland Pradesh Mahila Congress (NPMC) has launched a stinging attack on the state BJP Mahila Morcha, characterizing the latter’s “sudden love” for women’s reservation as nothing more than political hypocrisy and election opportunism.
In a press release, NPMC president Akumla Pongen stated that BJP mahila morcha’s recent advocacy in Nagaland was not only “misleading” but also an attempt to rewrite history and take credit for what the Congress party had already delivered decades ago.
NPMC recalled that the historic 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments were passed in 1992 by the Congress government under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. It said those landmark amendments provided 33% reservation for women in panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies, laying a strong foundation for women’s political empowerment at the grassroots level.
NPMC reiterated that the Congress party has consistently demanded raising women’s reservation to 50% and that several Congress-ruled states have already implemented higher quotas, reflecting the party’s genuine and long-standing commitment to women’s empowerment.
Questioning the sincerity of the BJP, the NPMC accused the Modi government of having failed to implement the 33% women’s reservation immediately after passing the Women’s Reservation Act in 2023.
Instead, NPMC said BJP deliberately linked implementation to delimitation and the next Census, effectively delaying it until after 2029. NPMC said these deliberate delays exposed BJP’s lack of political will. After sitting on the issue for years, it said BJP was now trying to use women’s reservation as an election slogan in states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Highlighting the stand of Congress party, NPMC said the party has always demanded immediate implementation of the women’s reservation law and has strongly advocated for increasing the quota to 50%. It said senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, have consistently raised this issue both in Parliament and in public forums.
Further, NPMC asked why the BJP did not introduce or implement women’s reservation during its ten years in power since 2014. It also questioned why women’s empowerment was being used merely as a political tool instead of being treated as a serious constitutional commitment.
NPMC maintained that Congress delivered 33% reservation for women at the grassroots level in 1992, has consistently demanded its expansion and immediate implementation, while the BJP was delaying it for electoral gains
State mahila congress has called upon the Nagaland BJP mahila morcha to stop misleading the people and acknowledge the Congress party’s historic role in empowering women across India.