New Delhi: As the government suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha, the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill, with an increase of 50% seats in the House till 2029, was defeated by the opposition. NDA It is not exactly licking its wounds, but seeing this as an opportunity to burnish its pro-women credentials and take it into battle against its rivals, including in South India, where the opposition is in power in all states except Andhra Pradesh. The PM Modi-led government has shown a willingness to cut its losses in the past when its legislative moves faced political headwinds, as was the case with the farm laws, which were passed by Parliament but were repealed by the government in 2021 due to relentless protests by a section of farmers. Similarly, the government allowed its bill to amend the UPA-era land acquisition law to lapse in its first term amid fears that it risked being seen as pro-corporate. He sensed no such threat when called for the retention of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, despite clear indications that, contrary to the government’s initial projections, the Congress and TMC would not break away from the DMK. Ultimately these bills faced defeat in the Lok Sabha. Of course, with the opposition portraying delimitation as a conspiracy against the southern states, some in the party feel that the DMK will take advantage of this allegation and try to divert attention from its weaknesses on crime and corruption. But he did not anticipate any large-scale damage outside Tamil Nadu. major inside view BJP And its allies admit that the failure has caused embarrassment, giving the opposition a rare moment to celebrate, but they are confident that the setback can be repurposed into an opportunity to deepen the alliance’s connect with women voters, who, in any case, have shown preference for them in many states for reasons ranging from targeted welfare schemes to cash assistance and even law and order, as seen in a series of assembly elections. An NDA functionary said, “There would have been gains if the bills had been passed, but there would have been no loss by failure.” As for the south, it seems that Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were also able to convey the message with their clear assurance that the BJP would ensure justice to south India in the delimitation, and the strong support from southern allies like the TDP, JDS and AIADMK underlined that the issue would not be viewed through the DMK lens alone. A day after the bill was defeated, Modi stormed the DMK stronghold in Tamil Nadu and launched a strong attack on it. DMK cannot hide its dark deeds by wearing black clothes, he said at a public rally, accusing the regional party of derailing this noble endeavour. He said, a family-run party like DMK would not want other women to gain political power. With the NDA already taking to the streets against opposition parties to defeat the Constitution Amendment Bill, he is understood to have told the Cabinet meeting on Saturday that they will have to pay a political price and called on them to counter their narrative built around alleged discrimination against southern states and delimitation of constituencies to suit the ruling coalition. In Delhi, women members of the BJP, including Union minister Raksha Khadse, marched to Rahul Gandhi’s residence but were detained midway as the party and its allies sought to put the Congress and other members of the Indian faction on the defensive. “We lost in numbers, but our case is that we lost for a good cause,” a BJP member said, claiming that it was always a “win-win” situation for the party. This time, the opposition has also come forward to present its case publicly, evidenced by the pressure exerted by Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has emerged as one of her party’s more vocal voices in Parliament as she accused the BJP of using the quota law as an excuse to change the federal structure through delimitation to remain in power “permanently”.