LUCKNOW, May 1 -- The state legislature's day-long special session convened to discuss women's empowerment began on Thursday amid protests and counter-protests by Opposition and ruling BJP MLAs inside and outside the House.

Opposition MLAs, mostly Samajwadi Party members, came with placards bearing the slogan, "33% Mahila Arakshan Lagu Karo." They questioned why the women's reservation bill, passed in Parliament in 2023, has not yet been implemented.

The BJP members, mostly women MLAs, also hold placards with "jab jab chunav ataa hai vipaksh burkhe mein chhip jata hai" (The Opposition hides behind a burq or vein during elections) and "Nari virodhi doob maro, apni kartooton pr sharam karo (Stop anti-women rhetoric, be ashamed of your act...