Dimapur, April 14 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Mahila Congress (NPMC) on Tuesday accused the BJP Mahila Morcha of “political hypocrisy and election opportunism,” saying its recent advocacy for women’s reservation in Nagaland was an attempt to take credit for measures already delivered by the Congress decades ago.
NPMC President Akumla Pongen in a press release said it was the Congress government under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao that enacted the historic 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments in 1992, guaranteeing 33% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies across India.
“This revolutionary step institutionalised women's political participation at the grassroots level and empowered lakhs of women across the country,” she said.
“Further, the Congress has consistently supported increasing women’s reservation up to 50%, and many states, under Congress influence, have already implemented higher quotas, proving its genuine commitment to women empowerment,” she added.
Pongen questioned the BJP’s commitment to women's empowerment, asking why the Modi government had not implemented the 33% reservation immediately after passing the Women's Reservation Act in 2023, instead linking its enforcement to delimitation and census, pushing implementation beyond 2029.
“Recent developments clearly show that the implementation is being delayed till after 2029 elections, exposing BJP’s lack of sincerity,” Pongen alleged.
She said Congress had consistently demanded immediate implementation of women's reservation and advocated for expanding the quota to 50%, with several Congress-influenced states already having implemented higher quotas.
“BJP is now trying to use women's reservation as an election slogan ahead of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal elections, after sitting on the issue for years,” she claimed.
She said the BJP Mahila Morcha must answer why women's empowerment was being used as a political tool instead of a constitutional commitment, and why reservation was not brought in during 2014, 2019, or even 2024. Pongen urged the Nagaland BJP Mahila Morcha to “stop misleading the people and acknowledge the historic role of Congress in empowering women across India.”
