Congress MP Manikam Tagore

New Delhi: As the defeat of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha has triggered a political debate on women’s reservation, Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Sunday said he is ready to give up his Virudhunagar seat for a woman candidate if 33 per cent reservation is implemented in existing constituencies.Tagore also asked a question in a post on X PM Modi And Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “If 33% reservation is implemented in all 543 constituencies as promised in the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act, I am ready to leave the Virudhunagar seat for sister. But why are Modi and Shah not ready to leave Varanasi and Gandhinagar? Why is there this hesitation?”“Instead, they talk about creating new seats – clearly avoiding real social change. Women’s reservation cannot be symbolic or selective. It should be fair, immediate and should not be delayed through delimitation of existing constituencies or diversion tactics. The battle is simple: genuine representation versus political convenience,” Tagore said.The bill, which sought to implement women’s reservation with delimitation-related provisions, failed to garner the required two-thirds majority, receiving 298 votes in favor and 230 against.It proposed to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats with 33 percent reservation for women as per the delimitation based on the 2011 census. Following its defeat, the government decided not to proceed with two other related bills.In his address to the nation, PM Modi criticized opposition parties for blocking the bill and said they have “crushed” women’s dreams despite the government’s efforts. She described the defeat as “a blow to women’s self-respect” and said voters would remember “an insult to their pride”.The Prime Minister also said that the proposed amendment under the Nari Shakti Vandan Act aims to expand opportunities for women and strengthen their representation in governance. He further accused the Congress of historically obstructing reforms and alleged that its approach of “delay, distract, obstruct” has slowed down national progress.