2 min readLucknowApr 20, 2026 05:06 AM IST
Likening the Opposition leaders’ behaviour in Parliament during the debate on the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill on Thursday to the “cheerharan” (disrobing) of Draupadi in the Mahabharat, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Sunday targeted the INDIA bloc, particularly the SP, over the defeat of the Bill that sought to implement the women quota post the delimitation of the constituencies.
“The scene that played out in the House. How the INDIA bloc — Congress, SP, TMC, and DMK acted draws our attention back to the scene of the ‘cheerharan’ (disrobing) of Draupadi in full assembly. The nature of the remarks, especially the irresponsible comments made by the Opposition leaders, the behaviour (they displayed) is known to everyone,” Adityanath told mediapersons here.
Singling out the SP over its demand for a separate reservation for Muslim women, Adityanath said attempts were being made to raise “irrelevant issues” about the legislation aimed at women’s empowerment.
“Yeh Samvidhan ki duhai dete hain, lekin Baba Saheb Ambedkar ki bhavnaon ke vipreet acharan karte hain (They invoke the Constitution, but act against the spirit of B R Ambedkar),” Adityanath said.
Referring to debates during the framing of the Constitution, the CM said religion-based reservation had been firmly rejected then. Adityanath argued that the women’s reservation Bill was a “progressive step” that did not take away anyone’s rights but sought to ensure greater participation of women in governance. “Yeh mahila sashaktikaran ke liye ek progressive soch ka kadam hai, ismein kisi ka haq nahi mara ja raha (This is a progressive step for women’s empowerment and does not take away anyone’s rights),” he said.
He further questioned the Opposition’s record on issues concerning Muslim women, citing the Shah Bano case and the triple talaq legislation. He said INDIA bloc parties had “ample opportunity” during their years in power to advance women’s rights but had failed to do so. He reiterated that the women’s reservation Bill should be seen as a unified effort to empower women rather than as an issue to be “fragmented for political gains”. —With PTI
