Mahua Moitra, a member of the Trinamool Congress, criticized the Narendra Modi administration on Wednesday, questioning whether women were viewed as “less than cows.” During a special five-day Parliament session on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha discussed the women’s reservation bill when the comments were made. As the “date of the next census is indeterminate, and the date of the delimitation exercise is doubly indeterminate,” Moitra noted that the implementation date remained uncertain.

“Are females inferior to cows to the point that we must wait till you count them and limit them via census? We require immediate action. Honorable Prime Minister, this is your chance to prove to us all that ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’,” she said. The TMC leader added that reserving may not even be achievable in 2029 because it depends on a census and then a delimitation procedure. 

“As I address a women’s reservation bill in the Indian Parliament, I feel pride and shame at the same time. I am proud to be a member of the All India Trinamool Congress, a party that sent 37% of women as lawmakers. Still, I am dismayed to be a part of the Lok Sabha, where women make up only 15% of the membership overall, well below the global average of 26.5% and the Asian regional average of 21%,” she continued.

According to Moitra, India’s position on the Inter-Parliamentary Union tables for women’s reservations was 140 out of 196. In response to demands from the opposition to extend the same benefits to Other Backward Classes and to implement the measure right away before the elections next year, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill granting reservation to women on one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies with nearly unanimous support.