Ranchi: The ruling coalition in Jharkhand on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Saturday’s address to the nation, during which he had labelled the opposition as anti-women. The constitutional amendment bill to implement 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies failed to pass in Lok Sabha on Friday.Reiterating its stand in favour of the women’s reservation bill, JMM said that the PM resorted to lies in his address and misguided the country. JMM central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya termed the PM’s address a ‘dirty’ and ‘shameful’ political commentary.“In the 29-minute speech, Modi ji, standing in front of four tricolours, lied that the opposition did not let the bill pass. The bill passed in 2023 already safeguarded women’s reservation, with a 33% quota. But the govt itself delayed its implementation and did not fulfil the promises of completing the Census by 2025 and the delimitation exercise by 2026. The NDA govt has humiliated the women of this country by not fulfilling the promises and bringing the women’s reservation bill under the veil of delimitation,” he added.Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, president of the state Congress unit, criticised that the PM’s address was not to the nation, but rather a speech aimed at electoral gain. “The PM accused us of being anti-women, but Congress always promotes women in politics. From Annie Besant, Sarojini Naidu, Nellie Sengupta, Indira Gandhi, to Sonia Gandhi, all led the nation, serving as national presidents of the Congress,” Mahto said.He reiterated the party’s support in favour of the reservation bill, passed with an overwhelming majority in 2023, mandating grant of 33% quota to women in the current 543 LS seats.Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said here on Sunday that for Congress, a woman essentially refers only to Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, and no other woman holds any significance in their view.“On the other hand, Modi ji has been providing opportunities for women from every community to progress and actively looking after the welfare of their families. The Modi govt convened the special parliamentary session, intending to secure a 33% reservation for women and grant constitutional status to the cause of women’s empowerment; yet, the Congress and its allies chose to insult women. But as long as BJP and NDA remain at the helm, the women of this country remain safe and secure,” Sonowal added.Attacking the JMM-led govt in the state, Sonowal said the current dispensation has utterly failed in curbing atrocities against women.“More than 10,000 incidents of rape have been reported. This govt has failed to uphold the dignity and honour of women. Any political party that aligns itself with the Congress is inherently incapable of respecting women. When the NDA govt was in power in the state, it never allowed the self-respect and dignity of women to be compromised,” he alleged.