Lucknow, April 30 (HS): The Uttar

Pradesh Assembly began proceedings on Thursday at 11 a.m. After completing

legislative business, Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna

proposed a discussion in the House under Rule 301 on the subject of women's

empowerment, based on the recommendations of the Business Advisory Committee.

When the Parliamentary Affairs Minister proposed the proposal, Leader of the

Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey said that this topic does not belong to the Uttar

Pradesh Legislative Assembly. It belongs to Parliament. Therefore, it cannot be

discussed here. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister replied, I have not

even mentioned that topic. It is a matter of women's empowerment. Women's

empowerment can be discussed. Therefore, we should not waste time on it.

Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana then asked the bench, If this issue has

been raised in the House, it should be clarified. The Speaker said that a

discussion could be held. Citing the UP Assembly's past record, Mahana said that

any pressing social issue can be discussed in the House. The issue of women's

empowerment is important. Therefore, this topic can be discussed in the

Assembly.

After this, Leader of the House and

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath began speaking in the House. He called the

opposition anti-women and began listing his government's achievements. They

call themselves socialists, yet they have a problem with women's empowerment.

It is noteworthy that a special session of the UP Assembly has been called on

the subject of women's empowerment. This issue will be discussed continuously

in the House throughout the day.

Speaking to media outside the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow, Chief

Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that the Samajwadi Party and Congress have an

anti-women mindset and intend to cause instability in the country

by opposing the women's quota bill in Parliament. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

Yogi Adityanath chastised Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and the Congress for

rejecting the constitutional amendment bill, which was tied to women's

reservation, stating their anti-women stance has been exposed in front of the

entire nation. Speaking at a news conference outside the Uttar Pradesh assembly

before the commencement of the special session, the chief minister stated that

the INDI group wished to create instability in India by rejecting the women's

quota bill.

He also claimed that women were entirely unsafe under the Samajwadi Party's

control in the state. He stated the extraordinary session was scheduled to

debate the opposition's decision not to endorse the women's quota measure in

Parliament. Everyone is aware of the slogan against the Samajwadi Party...

Everyone knows that the Samajwadi Party and the Congress are anti-women,

Adityanath told reporters. They had the opportunity to rehabilitate their

image by supporting the women's reservation measure, but they rejected it. The

Samajwadi Party, the Congress, and the INDIA bloc did its hardest to resist

women's reservation. They intended to cause instability in the country. Uttar

Pradesh's chief minister also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for

his government's measures to empower women.

We will also congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his endeavors to empower

women. Under his leadership, the BJP and NDA have made several initiatives to

empower women, he stated.

On Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly scheduled a day-long special session to

discuss women's reservations. According to a notification issued by Assembly

Principal Secretary Pradeep Kumar Dubey, Governor Anandiben Patel called the

18th Legislative Assembly for its second session of 2026 on Thursday, April 30,

at 11 a.m.

The Samajwadi Party has slammed the BJP for the session, claiming that the

saffron party intends to present an unconstitutional condemnation resolution in

the House after the constitutional amendment bill failed in Parliament. The

BJP, the party claimed, is aiming to agitate people, particularly women.

We strongly oppose the proposition they seek to introduce. When their bill

failed in Parliament, they used this strategy to mislead people, according to

Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey, who also serves as the Leader of the

Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi