Democracy in India becoming stronger: Jagdambika Pal refutes Priyanka Gandhi’s charges

New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jagdambika Pal on Friday asserted that democracy in India is becoming stronger, rejecting allegations made by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that recent legislative developments threaten democratic institutions.

His remarks came after Priyanka Gandhi, speaking in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, alleged that the Union government was undermining democracy through institutional pressure and constitutional changes.

“The government began weakening democracy by putting pressure on institutions such as the Election Commission, the Judiciary, and the media, but now an open attack on democracy is being launched,” she said.

Speaking to IANS, Jagdambika Pal said, “The Congress makes such statements repeatedly because it has lost political ground. Democracy in India is actually becoming stronger. It is widely believed that no other democracy is as robust as ours.”

He also referred to past efforts on women’s reservation, noting that in 1996, a Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by Geeta Mukherjee had made key recommendations on the issue.

Pal added that Parliamentary mechanisms like the Standing Committee have played a crucial role in strengthening democratic institutions.

“The government has accepted committee reports and acted upon them. However, despite being in power for many years, Congress did not implement these recommendations,” he said.

Highlighting recent Parliamentary proceedings, Pal described Thursday as a “historic day”.

The BJP MP said, “The debate continued for 14 hours and 22 minutes, and the House was adjourned at 1:21 a.m. A total of 81 speakers participated, including 31 women Parliamentarians. This sends a strong message to the world about the growing participation of women in India’s governance.”

He emphasised that the development reflects not only women’s empowerment but also their increasing role in shaping the country’s policies and decision-making processes.

Meanwhile, following a marathon debate on three Bills proposing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies, the legislation is set to be put to a vote.

Over more than 30 hours of discussion, the Lok Sabha witnessed sharp exchanges between the ruling NDA and the Opposition over the Centre’s move to link the Women’s Reservation Bill with the Delimitation exercise.

Ahead of the vote, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a final appeal to the Opposition to support the legislation, as the NDA lacks sufficient numbers to pass a constitutional amendment bill without broader consensus.

Prime Minister Modi on Friday urged the Opposition to extend support to the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, amid the ongoing debate in the Parliament.

“Currently, a discussion is underway in Parliament on amending the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. The debate continued until 1 a.m. last night as well,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

He mentioned that the Union government has provided logical responses to dispel the “misconceptions” that were spread.

“Every apprehension has been addressed. The information that was lacking has also been provided to every member. Any issue that might have caused opposition in anyone’s mind has also been resolved,” the Prime Minister said.

–IANS

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