'Desperate PM turned official address into political speech': Kharge
What's the story
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his recent speech blaming the opposition for the failure of the women's reservation bill. In a post on X, Kharge alleged that PM Modi mentioned Congress 59 times but barely touched upon women's issues. He said, "A desperate and frustrated PM with nothing meaningful to show for the last 12 years, turned an official address to the nation, into a political speech, full of mudslinging, and outright lies."
Accusations made
BJP prioritizes Congress over women issues, says Kharge
Kharge further accused PM Modi of prioritizing Congress over women's issues, saying, "Women are not the BJP's priority." He also pointed out that it took three years for the government to notify the Women's Reservation Bill after its passage in 2023. The bill proposes 33% reservation for women in legislatures and plans to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 by delimitation based on the 2011 Census.
Twitter Post
Mallikarjun Kharge's post on X
A desperate and frustrated PM @narendramodi with nothing meaningful to show for the last 12 years, turned an official address to the nation, into a political speech, full of mudslinging, and outright LIES. The Model Code of Conduct is already in place and it was very clear how PM…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 18, 2026
Criticism voiced
Mamata slams PM Modi for misleading the nation
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also slammed PM Modi, accusing him of misleading the nation. She said her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has always supported women's representation and opposed the delimitation process proposed by the BJP government. "The question of opposing Women's Reservation does not arise and never has," she said, adding that TMC has a high proportion of female elected representatives in Parliament and state legislature.
Further opposition
Akhilesh Yadav calls BJP's efforts deceptive ploy to divide society
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called the defeat of the bill "Defeat of so-called Women's Reservation Bill is a defeat of BJP and their malicious intent; every effort and every bill introduced by BJP is designed either to benefit few or to serve as deceptive ploy to divide society." Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also slammed the timing and handling of the bill, calling for wider consultation in a democratic framework.
Apology issued
Setback for women across India, says PM Modi
Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi had said that the failure of the women's reservation bill was a setback for women across India. He apologized for not being able to ensure its passage despite efforts by his government. The proposal aimed to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 and expand seats in state and Union Territory assemblies to accommodate the quota.