Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and NDA women leaders addressing a Press conference in Patna on April 19, 2026. Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui
By A Correspondent
Patna: A press conference was held at the Bihar BJP state headquarters on Saturday over the failure to pass the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Bill) in Parliament, with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and women leaders from all NDA constituents addressing the media.
Speaking at the briefing, Rajya Sabha MP Darshana Singh said the special session of Parliament had been convened to grant women their due rights, but instead “exposed the true face of the Opposition”. She said that half the country’s population had been eagerly awaiting the session in the hope of securing their rights and expected Opposition parties to rise above partisan politics.
She alleged that the Opposition had stalled the women’s reservation Bill for three decades and had once again repeated the same approach. “Their intentions were never clear—they did not want to grant 33 per cent reservation to women,” she said, adding that 17 April could have been a historic day, but the failure to pass the Bill had insulted the nation’s women. She further remarked that women’s issues should have been viewed beyond political lines and said leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, should have understood the concerns of women. She added that women across the country continue to place their trust in Narendra Modi.
Former minister Leshi Singh said the NDA government has consistently worked towards empowering women and had convened the special parliamentary session with that objective. “The Opposition reduced it to a mockery. When the Bill failed, they even celebrated,” she alleged, adding that women would respond to this in the future.
Rashtriya Lok Morcha MLA Snehlata Kushwaha accused the Opposition of being anti-women and said her party would launch an awareness campaign in villages to inform women about the issue.
Hindustani Awam Morcha MLA Jyoti Devi said the Opposition had weakened women’s empowerment and never demonstrated a commitment to advancing women’s interests. She termed the failure to pass the Bill “an insult not just to the government but to all women in the country”.
State president of the women’s wing of LJP (Ram Vilas), Shobha Sinha Paswan, said the Opposition had deprived women of their rights. She expressed confidence that women trust Prime Minister Modi and that the Bill would eventually be passed.
Among those present at the press conference were MLC Anamika Singh Patel, Nivedita Singh, MLA Sangeeta Kumari, Mayor Sita Sahu, Patna Zila Parishad chairperson Stuti Gupta, Women’s Commission chairperson Sajal Jha, BJP state vice-president Anamika Paswan and Preeti Shekhar, among others.
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