Tripura minister Ratan Lal Nath urges women to expose opponents of 131st Amendment Bill

A political storm erupted in Tripura on April 30 after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath urged women to identify and expose those opposing the proposed 131st Amendment Bill, while launching a sharp attack on opposition parties during a special Assembly session.

The remarks were made during the one-day sitting of the Tripura Legislative Assembly convened in support of the proposed *Nari Shakti Bandhan Adhiniyam*, aimed at strengthening the constitutional rights, progress, development and political empowerment of women.

Addressing the House, Nath said the issue before the Assembly was not merely a legislative proposal but a historic responsibility closely linked to the future of Indian democracy.

“We are talking about the reintroduction of the bill. A motion has been moved to send a message to all political parties that the Tripura Legislative Assembly has held a discussion on the matter. This discussion is to strengthen and secure the constitutional and political rights of women,” he said.

The minister asserted that no democracy could be complete unless it respected women and ensured equal participation in governance.

“In the Constitution, equal rights are mentioned, but are we in politics giving the same to women? That is why I am telling the opposition to adopt the bill and then see what happens,” Nath said.

Launching a direct attack on opposition parties, Nath said both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian National Congress would continue to lose relevance despite attempts to rebuild their image.

“No matter how good CPIM and Congress try to be, they will always remain infamous,” he said.

Referring to the Women’s Reservation Act passed in 2023, Nath said legislation alone was not enough and immediate implementation was necessary.

“The dream which the entire country is watching, we must fulfil it. In 2023, the Women Reservation Act was framed. Making a law alone cannot help; we have to implement it as soon as possible, and that is why the 131st Amendment Bill was introduced,” he said.

He further alleged that a majority of opposition parties had opposed the move and urged them to study the provisions of the Bill before criticising it.

In one of the sharpest remarks of the day, Nath appealed to women voters to publicly expose those resisting the amendment.

“Those who are opposing the 131st Amendment Bill should be identified and their real mask should be exposed before the people of the state,” he said.

Continuing his attack, the minister claimed that opposition parties were losing political ground because of their stand against women-centric reforms.

“The opposition is talking against women, and that is why they are losing seats in majority states and will become zero. In coming days, CPIM will become double zero,” he said.

The comments are expected to intensify political tensions in Tripura, where debates over women’s reservation, constitutional reforms and electoral representation have become major issues ahead of future polls.