Priyanka Gandhi questions decision to link women’s quota bill with delimitation

New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday questioned the Centre’s decision to link women’s reservation with delimitation and described it as a well-planned ‘conspiracy’ to alter the electoral constituencies for a certain political motive.

Her barrage of criticism was also laced with a ‘Chanakya’ swipe at the Home Minister Amit Shah, which left the latter smiling.

A Congress MP, responding to the Prime Minister’s charges of a delay of over three decades in granting reservations to women, recalled notable and watershed moments when the grand old party acted decisively to ensure greater representation of women in legislative bodies.

She said that the 33 per cent reservation for women in municipalities and urban bodies was first introduced by the Congress government under the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, marking the beginning of women’s political participation at the grassroots level.

“In 2010, under Dr Manmohan Singh’s leadership, the women’s reservation bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha, while in 2018, Rahul Gandhi penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking its implementation by 2019,” she further said in the Lok Sabha.

Congress leader also demanded answers from the government on why the Women’s reservation can’t be implemented in its current form, with two-thirds of seats earmarked for women, given the current strength of 543.

Training guns at the Prime Minister, she said that he didn’t tell the entire story and repeatedly tried to project the BJP as the one championing the cause of women, but the reality is far from what he claimed.

Sharing a piece of advice, she remarked, “Those who keep provoking women are often caught by them,” evoking laughter in the House.

Her ‘Chanakya’ jibe at the Home Minister also grabbed the House’s attention as she claimed that the women’s reservation was cleverly merged into delimitation and there was a well-laid-out plan to push it through the House.

“If Chanakya were alive today, he would have been surprised,” she said, in an apparent reference to the government’s handling of the women’s reservation bill and the political messaging around it.

She said that today’s debate is not about women’s reservations, but rather it is about delimitation that seeks to erode the country’s federal structure.

Stating that it was a purely politically driven move to alter the state’s boundaries in the name of women’s reservation, she asked why there is a sudden urgency to link reservation with delimitation when, in 2023, the same bill mandated Census and Delimitation as a precursor to women’s reservation.

She said that the bill smacks of conspiracy and claimed that the government was rushing the bills through the House because it doesn’t want to give benefits to the backward and marginalised communities.

“Parliament’s strength is said to be raised by about 50 percent, but it is utterly perplexing and surprising that the proposed amendment doesn’t have a word about the modalities and procedures for effecting such a monumental change in the Constitution,” she stated.

“This is an attack on the Constitution. If this bill is passed, this will mark an end to democracy,” she remarked.

Priyanka also alleged that the Centre was playing to the gallery by proposing to implement women’s reservation while at the same time destroying the constitutional fabric by underhanded means.

"We strongly oppose all three bills and amendments proposed by the government. I appeal to the Prime Minister to take the right decision, and you will find our support," she concluded. (IANS)

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday raised objections over aspects of the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill, while reiterating that the party supports the legislation in principle.

Yadav said the Bill was being brought without clarity on population data and caste inclusion.

"This Bill is being brought without a population census or including the backward classes. This is being brought for appeasement. We are in favour of this Bill, but why are they bringing it right now? And which census is being considered?" the Samajwadi Party chief said. He was speaking with mediapersons outside Parliament.

He further questioned the issue of constituency restructuring, adding, "Every party supports this, but what about the new map of the constituencies that the 'Khufiya' people made? This question is about delimitation, how will the new constituencies be made..."

Earlier this morning speaking in the Lok Sabha, the SP chief said that his party supports women's reservation in principle but opposes linking it to delimitation without updated population data.

"Why is the Centre rushing for women's reservation? Start with the Census first" Yadav said.

He further alleged that the Centre was delaying the Census to avoid demands for caste-based enumeration. "Samajwadi Party is for women's reservation, but is opposed to the approach via delimitation. They are delaying the census because when it happens, we will ask for the caste census, and then the reservation issue will come and they dont want it," the SP chief said.

In response to Yadav's criticism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly rejected any proposal for religion-based reservation, stating in the Lok Sabha that such a provision would be unconstitutional. He asserted that a reservation cannot be granted based on religion.

Shah said the 2027 Census is underway and will include caste enumeration. "The Census process has already started across the country, and after that, we will also conduct a caste-based census," the Union Home Minister said.

Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP claims to be the largest party, yet women do not comprise even 10 per cent of its total MLAs. "Naari ko naara banana chahti hai BJP (The BJP is trying to turn women into just a slogan)." (ANI)

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