Mumbai, April 19 -- Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday hailed the Women's Reservation Bill as a historic initiative for women's empowerment and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while sharply criticising the Opposition over the Bill's failure in the Lok Sabha, terming it a "black day in history."

Referring to the introduction of the Bill, Shinde said, "First of all, I thank and congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the Women's Reservation Bill,' he said.

He further asserted that the opposition has lost a key opportunity to honour women. ''This was an opportunity for the opposition to respect women and make them self-reliant, which they have lost. This is a very unfortunate incident," Shinde ad...