NEW DELHI: The women’s reservation bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday, as it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority after two days of intense debate over the bill and the proposed delimitation exercise.The Constitution Amendment Bill could not pass, with the ruling NDA falling short of the numbers needed to push the “Nari Bill” through.Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, “The Constitution (131st Amendment) Amendment Bill did not pass as it did not achieve a 2/3 majority during voting in the House.”The debate saw sharp exchanges in the House. Union home minister Amit Shah labeled the opposition as “anti-women” for opposing the bill.On the other hand, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi called the bill “anti-national.” Several other Opposition leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi, also raised strong objections.A day earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to legislators not to politicize the bill during his address on the issue.
