Surguja, April 19 -- Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo accused the Centre of "pretence" on women's reservation, alleging that the government lacked genuine intent to implement the measure ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

His remarks came after the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Speaking to ANI in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, Deo alleged that the government had used the promise of women's reservation for political gain rather than implementation.

"If you truly wanted to protect women's interests, you would have implemented women's reservation...