The special general assembly of the Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) witnessed high drama on Monday as proceedings turned into a political battleground between BJP and Congress councilors over the issue of women’s reservation. The meeting, chaired by RMC Speaker Suryakant Rathod, was convened to deliberate on the Women’s Reservation Bill, but quickly descended into heated exchanges. Tensions escalated when Leader of the Opposition Akash Tiwari made a controversial remark, prompting BJP councilors to rush toward his seat and demand an apology while raising slogans.

 

The disruption halted discussions on key civic development issues, raising concerns over the functioning of the House. During the session, 18 women councilors expressed their views on the issue. BJP women councilors clad in black attires, including Mayor Meenal Choubey, accused the Congress and other opposition parties of denying women their rightful representation by not supporting the bill in Parliament. In a show of protest, BJP councilors attended the session dressed in black and wearing black armbands. Congress councilors strongly refuted the accusations, stating that the party has historically promoted women’s leadership, citing figures like Indira Gandhi and Pratibha Patil as examples. They alleged that the BJP was attempting to gain political mileage by repackaging an old proposal. The situation worsened after Tiwari’s use of the term “mukhbiri,” which BJP members interpreted as offensive. Amid the uproar, Tiwari clarified that he had not targeted any individual and apologized if his statement had hurt sentiments. Despite the disruptions, the House passed a censure motion against the Congress party by majority vote.