Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani criticized former Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for their absence in Parliament during the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill. Irani questioned the party’s commitment to women’s empowerment and accused the Gandhi family of only caring about women within their own family. She expressed disappointment that the Congress did not support the bill when the Lok Sabha speaker sought consent. The bill aims to ensure a 33% quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal noted that it could increase women’s representation to 181 seats in the Lok Sabha. The bill was introduced during the inaugural session of the new Parliament building as part of a five-day special session.