Khattar says oppn will face consequences over women’s reservation bill defeat

Jalandhar: Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said the failure of the women's reservation Bill to move forward in the Lok Sabha was not a setback for the BJP, but for opposition parties, which, he added, would have to face the consequences.Addressing a press conference titled ‘Mahila Jan Aakrosh' and a part of the nationwide campaign, along with UP minister Baby Rani Maurya, here on Sunday, Khattar said, "The problem is not for us but for the opposition parties. They opposed the bill, and it could cause damage to them. Women are aware. Now, it has become gale ki haddi (pain in the neck) for them. They will have to pay the cost and face the consequences." He was asked if it was not an embarrassment for the BJP when their bill was defeated in Parliament.Responding to another query, he also claimed that the BJP thought that the opposition would support the bill. "We never knew that they would oppose the bill," he added.Asked that the opposition parties were questioning that while BJP were claiming to champion the cause of women, the percentage of their women MPs was lower than the opposition parties, Khattar argued, "When the competition is between men and women, they participate and behave differently. When the seats are reserved for women, all the parties would be forced to give the tickets to women only at the reserved seats." Asked what stopped the BJP from giving more seats to women on its own, he held, "This is not the way to compare it," he quipped.Calling upon the women voters to teach a lesson to the opposition, Baby Maurya said that women should elect the party that stood by them and promoted their interest. Senior Punjab BJP leaders, including Manoranjan Kalia, K D Bhandari, were also present on the occasion. MSID:: 130371645 413 | Get real-time updates and result insights on the CBSE 12 Result 2026.