Agartala, April 30 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working sincerely for the development of women across all sectors, with women’s safety being a key priority.

Participating in the discussion on a motion in the state Assembly on women’s reservation, the Chief Minister said the Prime Minister’s goal is the real empowerment of women and alleged that Opposition resistance has repeatedly hindered progress, including delays in passing earlier versions of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament.

Highlighting legislative developments, he said Chief Whip Kalyani Saha Roy moved a motion titled the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which seeks to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

“For this, I sincerely welcome her. I believe this amendment is a strong step towards women’s empowerment in India. Almost everyone participated in the discussion on this issue in the House. I firmly believe that all members will support the 131st Amendment Bill to the Constitution. I express my gratitude to the Leader of the Opposition and other members, including those from the Treasury Bench, who took part in today’s discussion,” he said.

The Chief Minister noted that the Assembly witnessed a constructive and detailed discussion on the issue. However, he added that the Opposition has a pattern of opposing bills brought before Parliament, and this instance was no different.

Providing further clarification, Saha said that delimitation would be carried out based on population rather than geographical region, emphasising that the process would not result in a reduction of seats for southern or Northeastern states, as it is governed by constitutional provisions.

During his address, the Chief Minister also accused the Opposition of attempting to mislead the public.

“Their main objective is to create division and confusion among people. In the age of social media, such attempts can spread rapidly. We have consistently seen that whenever the BJP-led NDA government introduces a bill, the Opposition makes it a habit to oppose it,” he said.

–IANS

sc/dan