NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday called out PM Modi and said that it was “deeply unfortunate” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to “mislead the nation” over the women’s reservation bill.She also alleged that the Center was attempting to push the delimitation exercise by “using women as a shield”. “It is deeply unfortunate that the Prime Minister chose to mislead the nation rather than address it honestly,” Mamata said in a long-message on X.Her remarks came a day after a bill to implement 33 per cent women’s reservation in legislatures by 2029 was defeated in the Lok Sabha. In an address to the nation on Saturday, Modi had warned the Congress and its allies that the women of India would “severely punish them” for the “sin of foeticide”.Mamata asserted that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has always supported higher political representation for women, adding that the party currently has the highest proportion of female elected representatives in both Parliament and the state legislature. “In the Lok Sabha, 37.9 per cent of TMC’s elected members are women,” she said, adding that the party has also nominated 46 per cent women members in the Rajya Sabha.She said opposition to women’s reservation does not arise, but added that TMC was against the proposed delimitation exercise.“What we are fundamentally opposed to is the delimitation exercise that the Modi government was plotting to push through by using women as a shield for its vested political agenda,” she alleged.The West Bengal CM further accused the Center of attempting to alter the federal balance through delimitation, calling it an “assault on federal democracy” and alleging that it could lead to “gerrymandering” that would favor BJP-ruled states.She questioned the timing of the legislation, asking why the government “waited nearly three years after the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill on September 28, 2023,” and why it was being pushed when several states were in the election cycle.“If this government was genuinely serious about this noble cause, why rush it through when several states are in election? And why couple it with delimitation?” she asked.Defending her opposition to the bill, Mamata further added the party had consistently stood for women’s empowerment and would continue to do so, but would not accept being “lectured on the subject.”Taking a direct swipe at the Prime Minister, she said he should address such matters from the floor of Parliament rather than through public addresses.“And Mr. Prime Minister, the next time you address the nation, have the courage to do so from the Floor of Parliament, where you are subject to scrutiny, challenge and accountability,” she said.In another jab, she called the Prime Minister’s remarks “cowardly, hypocritical and fork-tongued,” adding, “That is all this was.”
