Goa, April 18 -- Opposition leaders strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his national address on the defeat of the women's reservation legislation in the Lok Sabha, calling his remarks "partisan" and "dramebaazi". The controversy follows the rejection of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to reserve one-third of seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described the Prime Minister's speech as lacking the neutrality expected of a national address. He said it was instead a politically charged attack on opposition parties, arguing that Modi should have focused on building consensus rather than assigning blame. He further accused the government of mishandling the...