Agartala, April 24: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has accused opposition parties of obstructing a key reform on women’s political representation, alleging that resistance to the Women’s Reservation Bill has delayed a long-pending measure aimed at empowerment.
Addressing a press conference at the state office of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Saha criticised the opposition, including the INDIA alliance, describing their stance as “self-centred politics” that has hindered progress on the legislation. He claimed the opposition had “insulted women” by blocking the measure in Parliament.
Saha described the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam as a transformative step in India’s democratic framework. The law proposes 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, aimed at strengthening representation and advancing women-led development.
Tracing the bill’s legislative journey, the Chief Minister noted that the proposal dates back to 1996 during the tenure of former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, with subsequent attempts under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was later passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 during the government led by Manmohan Singh, but did not clear the Lok Sabha at the time. The legislation was eventually passed in September 2023 during a special session at the new Parliament building.
According to Saha, the law provides for one-third reservation across general and SC/ST constituencies, with rotational allocation after each delimitation cycle and a validity period of 15 years, extendable by Parliament. It applies only to directly elected members and excludes the Rajya Sabha.
He also highlighted that implementation is linked to the completion of the national census, which may delay its rollout. Saha said the bill was reintroduced in April 2026 to enable implementation ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, but alleged that opposition parties once again prevented its passage despite detailed deliberations.
Criticising parties such as the Congress and Left, he said the delay has deprived women—who constitute a significant share of the population—of rightful representation. He reiterated that the Centre, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remains committed to advancing women’s welfare and political participation.
Senior leaders, including Industries and Commerce Minister Santana Chakma and MLAs Mina Rani Sarkar and Antara Dev Sarkar, were present at the briefing.
