IMC special session: BJP hits out at Cong over women’s reservation

Indore: A special session of Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) convened to pass a vote of thanks to Prime Minister, turned into a heated confrontation between the BJP and Congress over the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' (Women's Reservation Act), on Saturday.BJP corporators, led by Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav, staged a coordinated protest in the house. Women corporators arrived dressed in black, while the Mayor and male corporators wore black shirts or black armbands. Citing the opposition's stance on the women reservation bill, BJP corporators led by Mayor converted the original "Thanksgiving Motion" into a "Censure Motion" (condemnation motion), which was subsequently passed by a majority. Bhargav accused the opposition of "double standards," stating that rejecting a historic opportunity for women's empowerment was an insult to the dignity of women.The Congress party, led by Leader of Opposition, Chintu Choukse, dismissed the BJP's allegations as a political stunt. He said that the Congress was not against women's reservation but opposed the strategy of delaying its implementation.The opposition argued that the Act passed in 2023 should have been implemented immediately. They accused the BJP of stalling the process under the guise of ‘delimitation' to serve its own electoral interests in the future.The proceedings were repeatedly disrupted by sloganeering and sharp exchanges between the two sides. The atmosphere remained tense throughout the session, with BJP women corporators frequently protesting in the well of the house.The session concluded not as a formal administrative meeting, but as a clear reflection of the deepening political divide and shifting strategies of both parties including that on national song ‘Vande Mataram'.