Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Don't lie from Red Fort: Akhilesh on women's quota
Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, gave a speech on Independence Day.
He spoke from the Red Fort, a famous fort in Delhi.
He asked political parties to support giving women 33 out of every 100 seats in legislatures.
Another leader, Akhilesh Yadav, disagreed with part of the speech.
He said no one should tell lies from the Red Fort.
He reminded everyone that a law reserving seats for women was already passed in 2023.
But he said the law has not been put into action for elections yet.
He wants it used for the elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2027.
Akhilesh also said the BJP celebrates Partition, which he thinks is wrong.
He said everyone should work to strengthen the Constitution so democracy stays strong.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused PM Narendra Modi of speaking 'lies' from the Red Fort over the women's reservation bill.
In his Independence Day speech, Modi urged political parties to rise above differences to secure 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures.
Yadav noted the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was unanimously passed by Parliament in September 2023 but was not implemented for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Yadav demanded the law be implemented for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, saying women currently 'sitting idle' should get a chance to contest.
Yadav also alleged that Partition is a 'cause for celebration' for the BJP and its Sangh allies, who observed Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
- Who
- Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav; Prime Minister Narendra Modi; the BJP
- What
- Yadav accused Modi of speaking lies from the Red Fort about the women's reservation law and demanded its implementation; Modi urged parties to back 33 per cent women's reservation
- When
- Saturday, after PM Modi's Independence Day speech; the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was passed in September 2023
- Where
- Red Fort (Modi's speech); Samajwadi Party office, Lucknow (Yadav's remarks)
- Why
- Because the women's reservation law was passed but not implemented for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and because Yadav disputes the BJP's handling of reservation and its Partition remembrance
Samajwadi Party (Akhilesh Yadav)
BJP-led government (PM Modi)
Women's reservation bill
Samajwadi Party (Akhilesh Yadav)
The bill is already law (passed September 2023) and should be implemented for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections; pitching it anew from the Red Fort is 'lying'.
BJP-led government (PM Modi)
PM Modi urged all political parties to rise above differences to help secure 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures.
Partition remembrance
Samajwadi Party (Akhilesh Yadav)
For the BJP, Partition is a 'cause for celebration' and was its goal before and after independence, so it observes Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
BJP-led government (PM Modi)
The BJP and its associates observed Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, a remembrance event whose purpose the article does not detail.
- Main figures
- Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party chief) vs PM Narendra Modi
- Occasion
- PM Modi's Independence Day speech from the Red Fort
- Women's reservation demanded
- 33 per cent of seats in legislatures
- Relevant law
- Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, passed unanimously in September 2023
- Status of law
- Not in effect for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections
- Yadav's demand
- Implement the law for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections
- Other dispute
- BJP's Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, which Yadav calls a 'cause for celebration' for the BJP
- Venue of remarks
- Samajwadi Party office, Lucknow