Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that the 'Jan Aakrosh Mahila Padyatra,' which began on Tuesday in Lucknow would emerge as a "symbol of anger" across the country against what he termed the "anti-women behaviour" of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, the Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

The 'Jan Aakrosh Mahila Padyatra' protest march began from the residence of the Chief Minister today, following the recently concluded three-day Parliament Special Session in which the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which enables reservation for women to be based on delimitation, failed to pass in the Lok Sabha.

Addressing the public ahead of the march, the BJP leader and Chief Minister said a large number of women came to be a part of the protest march.

"Today, this protest march led by sisters will become a symbol of the anger in the entire country, especially among half of the population, against the anti-women reservation policies of Congress, SP, TMC, DMK. Today, thousands of sisters have come here to be a part of this protest march" Adityanath added.

The Chief Minister's foot march is being held in protest against the non-passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, as Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha voted against the Bill on April 17.

The rally proceeded from the Chief Minister's Residence to the Legislative Assembly. A large number of women joined the foot march. Women ministers from the state government also participated in the march. Through the foot march, the Chief Minister raised questions directed at the opposition.

Heavy police force was deployed at various points along the route of the foot march.

Ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government--including the BJP State President, the Deputy Chief Minister, and the team from the State Women's Commission--along with the Mayor of Lucknow, Sushma Kharkwal, and the National President of the Mahila Morcha were present at today's event.

"A 'Jan Akrosh Rally' (Public Outrage Rally) is being organized today to protest against the attempts to obstruct the new amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and to defeat the bill in Parliament. I express my gratitude to the large number of women who have turned out for this protest demonstration. Be it the Congress or the Samajwadi Party, their true nature is undemocratic. They are anti-women. Modi Ji had offered them an opportunity--a chance to redeem their image. However, they chose to reject it. You have all come out despite this scorching heat. Under the leadership of Modi Ji, a monumental transformation has been witnessed across the country," the Uttar Pradesh CM said.

Further, he said, "The focal point of the various social schemes operational across the country is the female population. The 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) Scheme. Under the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' (Clean India Mission), provisions are being made to ensure that every household has a toilet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formulated these schemes--which are being implemented both within the states and across the nation--with a keen and comprehensive vision."

Speaking to ANI here, Uttar Pradesh minister Ashish Patel said that the opposition set an undeclared agenda against women that women of the country should not get their rights.

"When this (Nari Shakti Vandan Act) Act was implemented in 2023 and all parties came together to carry out its implementation, there was no controversy of any kind, but when the time came to bring this bill to the ground level, the opposition parties worked to obstruct it. This is their undeclared agenda against women that the women of the country should not get their rights... We supported the Nari Shakti Vandan Act in 2023 and even in the future, regarding the amendments to this Act, through which the interests of women can be protected, we will carry out that work..." Patel added.

Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said, "Women are coming out of their homes in large numbers to express their dissatisfaction. The way the opposition has blocked the Women's Reservation Bill is deeply saddening. Women are deeply angry about this. The Samajwadi Party and Congress will surely pay the price for this in the upcoming elections..."

On April 17, Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill.

During the three-day Special Session from April 16 to April 18, multiple leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, discussed the bill. Multiple Opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, and Congress leader KC Venugopal, also participated in the discussion.

The 131st Constitution Amendment Bill to implement women's reservation failed to pass in the Lok Sabha as the INDIA bloc refused to vote in favour of the delimitation process.

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The Lok Sabha took up the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill together for passing. In the division that took place on the Constitution Amendment Bill following the debate on the three bills, 298 members voted in favour and 230 against.

With the Constitution Amendment Bill defeated, the government later said it did not want to pursue the two other linked bills since they were interrelated.