Lucknow: A massive protest march by women was organized in the state capital Lucknow against the rejection of the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, thousands of women marched on foot from Chief Minister’s residence (5 Kalidas Marg) to the Vidhan Sabha, expressing their anger against the entire opposition, including the Samajwadi Party and Congress.
Several women ministers and other leaders from the Uttar Pradesh government participated and termed the INDIA alliance as anti-women.
Thousands of women gathered at Chief Minister’s residence to take part in the public outrage march. During the event, women leaders addressed the gathering and urged participants to remember the “anti-women mindset” of SP and Congress in the upcoming elections.
Education Minister Gulab Devi said that the thinking of SP and Congress is like that of frogs - “if they jump, they will fall into a drain.” She urged women to recognize the opposition’s mindset, adding that women across the country are angry over the bill being brought down, and this anger should be reflected from panchayats to the Assembly and Parliament.
She emphasized that women must continue their struggle and ensure BJP governments return in 2027 and 2029.
Women Welfare Minister Baby Rani Maurya stated that when the bill was brought down in Parliament, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and SP MP Dimple Yadav were present. She alleged that women MPs from the opposition even thumped desks in celebration, whereas they should have felt saddened. She called upon women to take revenge for this “insult.”
Former BJP MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced the bill for women’s empowerment, but the opposition blocked it due to an anti-women mindset.” She urged women to unite and demonstrate their strength to the opposition.
Prominent leaders present in the march included BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, ministers Om Prakash Rajbhar, Ashish Patel, A.K. Sharma, Anil Kumar, Rajni Tiwari, Pratibha Shukla, Vijay Lakshmi Gautam, Lucknow Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, BJP Mahila Morcha state president and Rajya Sabha MP Geeta Shakya, MLAs Jai Devi, Aditi Singh, Asha Maurya, State Women’s Commission vice-chairperson Aparna Yadav, Charu Chaudhary, and State Women Welfare Corporation chairperson Kamalawati Singh.
