• Bhupendra Gupta

Across the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party is celebrating “Nari Shakti Vandan Pakhwada,” projecting itself as the champion of women’s rights under the banner of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. But the real question is—does this narrative reflect truth, or is it a carefully crafted political illusion? In 2026, when the government attempted to amend this very law, it faced a decisive defeat in Parliament. The proposed amendment was rejected by 58 votes, as the opposition united against what it saw as a calculated attempt to manipulate delimitation for political gain. Instead of introspection, the BJP swiftly pivoted—turning a legislative setback into a nationwide publicity campaign. This raises a fundamental concern: is women’s empowerment being used as a political shield?

History Tells a Different Story

A deeper look into history reveals a pattern that sharply contradicts the present claims. When the Hindu Code Bill was introduced—championed by B. R. Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru—it aimed to grant women fundamental rights: • Equal inheritance • Legal divorce • Enforcement of monogamy • Adoption rights

Yet, these reforms faced fierce resistance from the ideological predecessors of today’s BJP, including the RSS and conservative right-wing groups. Protests erupted, Parliament was disrupted, and the bill was stalled.

Ultimately, the original bill had to be diluted and passed in fragments: • Hindu Marriage Act (1955) • Hindu Succession Act (1956) • Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act (1956) In essence, the very forces that now claim to empower women once stood firmly against granting them basic rights.

A Disturbing Position on Social Evils

The 1987, Roop Kanwar Sati Case shocked the nation. While there was widespread outrage, senior BJP leader Vijaya Raje Scindia publicly framed the incident within the context of “tradition and faith.”

This forced the government to enact the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act. The question remains: is this the legacy of a party that claims to stand for women’s dignity? Reluctance Toward Progressive Reforms Several landmark reforms aimed at gender equality were met with hesitation or criticism: • Equal Remuneration Act • Anti-dowry legislation • 33% reservation for women in local bodies under the Narasimha Rao government

Even the Women’s Reservation Bill, introduced in 1996, faced repeated disruptions.Despite being passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, it failed to clear the Lok Sabha for years. Time and again, support was conditional, delayed, or politically calculated.

The Present: Commitment or Convenience?

The 2023 law was passed with opposition support, not unilateral political will. Yet its implementation was delayed until 2026. Then, on April 16, 2026, came the notification—coinciding with an attempt to push a delimitation-linked amendment. This sequence raises uncomfortable questions:

• Why delay implementation for years? • Why link it with delimitation at a politically opportune moment? • It suggests a strategy: delay reform, then deploy it for electoral advantage.

Conclusion: Empowerment or Optics? The pattern is difficult to ignore: • When real empowerment was proposed, there was resistance • When political benefit appeared, support followed • When setbacks occurred, they were repackaged as achievements Today’s celebrations of “Nari Shakti” may sound powerful, but the underlying question remains: • Is this genuine commitment to women’s rights, or a political narrative crafted for optics? • Can history be erased by slogans and campaigns? Women in India are no longer seeking symbolic gestures—they demand real power, real participation, and real equality. And ultimately, they will decide who truly stands with them—and who merely invokes their name for political gain.

(The author is Chairman of Congress Vichar Vibhag MP)