Varanasi (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), TMC and DMK on Tuesday for stalling the women’s reservation bill in Parliament and assured women that he will leave no stone unturned to ensure that their right to reservation in legislative bodies is implemented.
Addressing a women’s conference in his Lok Sabha constituency here in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said the plan to make India a developed nation is progressing smoothly and whenever he speaks of a “Viksit Bharat”, its strongest pillar is the women of the country.
“I have come to this programme to seek blessings from all women for the beginning of a maha yagya,” he said.
“As the parliamentarian from Kashi, as the prime minister of the country, I need your blessings to achieve a major goal in the national interest — implementing reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies,” he said.
Modi said just a few days ago, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) efforts in Parliament in this regard were unsuccessful due to parties like the SP and the Congress.
“I once again assure all my sisters that I will leave no stone unturned to ensure that your right to reservation is implemented,” he added.
The prime minister hit out at the SP, alleging that it was “difficult for daughters to come out of their houses” during the party’s rule in Uttar Pradesh.
He said “pariwarwadi” (dynastic) parties like the Congress, SP, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and DMK have “betrayed women” once again.
“These pariwarwadi parties do not want daughters to reach the Assembly or the Lok Sabha. These parties have applied the brakes on women’s reservation for the last 40 years,” Modi said.
He said increasing women’s participation was also a key consideration behind the construction of the new Parliament building and the first major step taken there was to pass the women’s reservation law.
“For 40 years, this right of women remained pending. In 2023, we passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament,” Modi said.
He asserted that after a law is enacted, it must be implemented, adding that discussions and legislative measures were brought in Parliament recently to ensure an early implementation of the law on women’s reservation.
However, he accused parties like the Congress, SP, TMC and DMK of “betraying” women once again.
“These parties, driven by dynastic politics and appeasement, are afraid of women’s power,” he said, alleging that they do not want women leaders from the grassroots level to enter legislatures as it would challenge their control.
Modi said he is satisfied that women across the country have recognised “these intentions” of opposition parties, citing the high turnout of women voters in the Assembly polls of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
The prime minister said when a woman is empowered within a household, it strengthens the family, the society and the country.
Referring to past challenges, he said women, including those in Varanasi, had to struggle a lot, facing numerous social constraints and questions about their capabilities.
Switching briefly to a mix of a regional dialect and Bhojpuri, Modi said women and girls were often told, “What will you achieve by doing all this? You will not be able to do it.” At times, he added, they were not even asked but simply told that certain tasks were beyond their capabilities.
The prime minister said such experiences were not limited to Varanasi but were common across the country and were often accepted as normal.
“When I became the chief minister of Gujarat about 25 years ago, I first tried to change such mindsets,” he said.
Modi said two major schemes for girls were launched at the time — one to ensure greater enrolment in schools and prevent dropouts, and another to provide financial assistance through a dedicated fund for girls’ education.
“Since then, women’s welfare has remained a top priority in our policies,” he said.
The prime minister said after assuming office in 2014, his government has built more than 12 crore toilets across the country, opened over 30 crore bank accounts for women, provided electricity connections to more than 2.5 crore households and ensured tap-water supply to over 12 crore homes.
“Women and daughters have been at the centre of many major schemes,” he said.
Modi said two years ago, a major campaign linked to the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana was launched in Varanasi, under which around 27,000 bank accounts were opened for girls within a month and an amount of Rs 300 was transferred to each one of those.
“The scheme is playing a major role in improving girls’ education and securing their future. While it has strengthened education, the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana has ensured income opportunities,” he said.
Modi added that initiatives, such as the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and Ayushman Bharat, have helped provide healthcare support to women.
The prime minister said along with education, income and healthcare, property ownership in women’s names has also been encouraged, with most houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana registered in the names of women.
In a regional expression, he said, “Aajhamaarmaai-bahinsahimaaynonmeinapangharkemalkin banal haeen (our sisters and mothers have now become the true owners of their homes).”
Modi said the BJP-led NDA government is not only making women self-reliant but also enabling them to lead the campaign for a developed India.
He said the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has strengthened women’s safety, ensuring faster decisions in serious crimes, while women police stations and counselling centres are expanding.
The prime minister said a rising economic strength boosts women’s voice, with 11 crore women linked to self-help groups since 2014. “Nearly three crore women have become ‘LakhpatiDidis’,” he said.
Modi said new opportunities have opened up for women in the armed forces in the last 10 years, with institutions like Sainik Schools and defence academies now accessible to girls.
“This is what the BJP-NDA government stands for — women’s empowerment and making their lives easier,” he said.
Modi highlighted the roles of “bank sakhis”, “insurance sakhis”, “krishisakhis” and “Namo Drone didis”, and said as women are excelling across sectors, their participation in policymaking must also go up.
“The country needs this today and sincere efforts are being made in this direction,” he said.
“The BJP-NDA government has just one guiding principle — ‘Nagarik Devo Bhava’ (citizens are god). The education, livelihood, healthcare, irrigation and grievance redressal of the country’s citizens are our priorities,” the prime minister added.
