‘SP, Congress anti-women’: CM Yogi Adityanath leads entire UP BJP machinery in foot march

The protest site, meanwhile, witnessed a strong display of political messaging against one party in particular. (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav)On Friday, the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, which sought to advance reservation of 33% seats for women in an expanded Lok Sabha and state Assemblies and facilitate delimitation of the constituencies, failed to clear the House due to lack of two-thirds majority needed for its passage. This was the first time a Bill under the Narendra Modi government was defeated in Parliament.

Before the march began, Deputy CMs Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya said as much when they gave a call to vote against those who are against women in 2027.

“Lambi baat nahi karna hai, Samajwadi Party ka supra saaf karna hai. 2027 mein bina mahilaon ke koi chunao jeet sakta hai. Agar mahilaon ko arakshan nahi to SP, Congress ko vote nahi (We don’t need long discussions — the Samajwadi Party must be wiped out. No one can win the 2027 elections without women. If there is no reservation for women, then don’t vote for the SP or the Congress),” said Maurya.

The BJP’s messaging is also sharply targeted. While both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party are among those who opposed the Bill, the political attack is largely directed at the latter — the ruling party’s principal challenger in the state. 

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath along with Deputy CMs Brijesh Pathak and Keshav Maurya and state BJP President Pankaj Chaudhary at the ‘Jan Akrosh Mahila Padyatra’ in Lucknow on Tuesday. (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav)

Women and men at Kalidas Marg carried placards and raised slogans such as ‘SaPa ki pehchan, nari shakti ka apman (The identity of SP is disrespecting women)’; ‘SP ka haath nari shakti ke khilaf, janta nahi karegi maaf (The Samajwadi Party stands against women’s power, and the public will not forgive it)’; ‘Mahilaon ke adhikar ki jab bari aayi, SP hai ghabrai (When the time came to ensure women’s rights, the Samajwadi Party got nervous).”

The SP, however, has been attempting to set the record straight.

Hitting out at the BJP for targeting the Opposition, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav Sunday had said his party’s objections stemmed from concerns over “haste” in carrying out the delimitation exercise in the absence of a caste census. 

Saying that the SP supported the women’s reservation in principle, he alleged that the BJP wanted to make “nari” into a “nara” (women into a slogan) and accused the party of practising “divisive politics” using “CMF formula — create mistrust or fear”.

Back at the Vidhan Sabha, the CM, referring to the Opposition, said, “Prime Minister Modi gave them an opportunity to shed their anti-women image… a path was paved for 33% reservation for women, but the Opposition’s conduct has been against women’s dignity.”

He also outlined schemes for women launched by the Centre and State governments: the Swachh Bharat Mission, which is not just about cleanliness, but also about protecting women’s dignity and the Ujjwala scheme, which is not just about fuel supply, but also a foundation for self-reliance and protection of women’s health.

Apart from district-wide foot marches, the BJP is also convening a special one-day Assembly session on April 30 focused on “women’s empowerment”. In response, the Opposition is preparing to press the state government to formally send a proposal to the Centre seeking 33% reservation for women, “instead of doing politics” on the issue, it is learnt.