Congress, CPI-M, TMC back Women’s Reservation Bill, oppose delimitation link

NEW DELHI: Congress and CPI-M leaders on Thursday clarified that they support the Women's Reservation Bill but criticised the central government for delaying its implementation and linking it to delimitation and the census. Opposition leaders pointed out that the Bill had already been passed unanimously in Parliament in 2023 with support from all parties, yet has not been operationalised.

Congress MP Jebi Mather argued that the current move is less about women's empowerment and more about delimitation. She said the government could have implemented 33 per cent reservation within the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats in 2023 itself, without waiting for future processes. She also questioned the timing, noting that the issue has been raised again during ongoing state elections.

Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy echoed this view, stating that the Opposition has consistently supported women's reservation. However, he criticised the government for adding a clause that ties implementation to the completion of the census, which has delayed its rollout.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee  launched a scathing attack against the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as she claimed that the delimitation provisions linked to the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill are nothing but a ploy to divide the state again.

"Why did they have to bring the delimitation provisions with the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill. This is yet another ploy to divide West Bengal. This is also another ploy to delete the names from the voters' list further in the future and also to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state," the Chief Minister said while addressing a campaign rally at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district ahead of the crucial two-phase Assembly polls.  (IANS)

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