In a bold display of solidarity, scores of women from across Punjab converged in Chandigarh on Saturday, spearheaded by BJP state executive president Ashwini Sharma. Their target: AAP supremo and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s home, where they sought accountability for blocking the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Chandigarh authorities swiftly intervened, placing key figures under detention as the march pressed on. Detainees included ex-Central Minister Parneet Kaur, Mahila Morcha chief Jai Inder Kaur, vice-presidents Mohinder Kaur Josh and Mona Jaiswal, secretaries Meenu Sethi, Vandana Sangwan, Renu Thapar, and activist Ekta Nagpal.
Slogans of ‘Long Live Women’s Power’ filled the air as participants pledged relentless advocacy for equal rights. Sharma took the stage, reaffirming BJP’s legacy of championing women under Modi’s vision. He slammed Congress and AAP’s unlikely partnership against the bill, calling it blatant political opportunism driven by vote-bank calculations and fear of disrupted party hierarchies.
Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur decried the bill’s hold-up as democracy’s darkest hour. ‘Congress and AAP view women only as electoral pawns,’ she charged. ‘The INDIA bloc trembles at our empowerment. Indian women will deliver a resounding rebuke.’
Parneet Kaur urged political unity beyond self-interest, pointing to the opposition’s sabotage of progress for half of India’s populace. This high-stakes rally highlights fractures in opposition unity and BJP’s strategic mobilization of women voters. With elections looming, the women’s reservation push could reshape political landscapes, amplifying calls for substantive reform over rhetoric.
