Nearly a fortnight after the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill was defeated in Lok Sabha, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution condemning the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and other INDIA bloc parties for opposing the Bill that sought to advance 33 per cent quota for women in an expanded Lok Sabha and state Assemblies and facilitate delimitation of constituencies.The resolution, brought by the BJP government in the UP Assembly during the one-day special session of the Assembly on women’s empowerment, was opposed by the Samajwadi Party, which said that the Constitution Amendment Bill had nothing to do with women’s rights and safety.The censure resolution read, “This House condemns the conduct of Congress, SP, and all parties of the INDIA alliance for creating obstacles in the amendment to the Nari Shakti Abhinandan Act (Constitution 131st Amendment Bill) in Parliament.”Tabling the resolution, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna said the state government was committed to ensuring greater participation of women in policymaking.“…until women receive their rightful and constitutional place in policymaking, we will continue to condemn and oppose those against women’s empowerment,” Khanna said.Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who earlier in the day had challenged the Opposition Congress and SP members to take part in the debate on women’s empowerment, concluded the five-hour-long debate by accusing the Opposition parties of seeking women’s quota on religious lines.“The BJP has never opposed reservation for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but has always opposed and will continue to oppose reservation on religious lines… Your intent has become clear… Under the guise of the Nari Shakti Act, you want to base the reservation policy on religion. That Muslims should get reservation in proportion to their population — nothing could be a bigger deception against the nation, and we condemn this.”Story continues below this adOpposing the resolution, Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey said, “I strongly condemn the condemnation motion you have brought. You are not acting in the interest of women’s empowerment…”The SP countered the BJP, arguing that the legislation in question was more closely linked to the delimitation of constituencies instead of the immediate implementation of women’s reservation.Moved under Rule 103 of the House, the resolution stated that while the Constitution guarantees gender equality, women are yet to receive their due place across sectors. The resolution emphasised the need for greater decision-making powers for women, particularly in political and social spheres. It condemned the INDIA bloc parties for “creating hurdles” in granting greater rights to women.The resolution was passed by voice vote as Opposition members continued their protest.Story continues below this adMeanwhile, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) welcomed the government’s move to hold a special session on women empowerment and expressed support for women’s reservation while flagging delays in its implementation. “Despite prolonged struggles, the issue of providing 33 per cent reservation to women has not progressed, which is extremely regrettable and concerning… in this context, the special session of the UP Assembly has been convened, which the BSP welcomes and supports women’s reservation,” the BJP chief posted on X.SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, on the other hand, attacked the BJP over the issue of women’s reservation, accusing it of deflecting from the core subject and adopting a “changing stance”, remarks that come amid a political row over a censure motion passed in the Uttar Pradesh legislature.In a post on social media platform X, Yadav took a swipe at the ruling party, saying those who “changed the subject after convening a session” were like a chameleon.“Those who changed the core issue after calling the session ‘” were they comparing themselves to a chameleon? A chameleon at least shows when it changes colour, but what about those who change internally while appearing the same outside,” he said.Story continues below this adThe SP chief further alleged that the BJP had attempted to stall women’s reservation earlier and was now “renaming it as empowerment to avoid implementation”.“Women’s reservation has already been passed, but BJP leaders and their associates do not want it to be implemented. They have never given women due respect or representation within their organisation, what will they give in Parliament?” he said, adding that “mahilaayein hi BJP ka kaal banengi (women will become the reason for BJP’s downfall)”. —With PTI Inputs