NEW DELHI: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday warned that the Centre’s reported push on delimitation—not women’s reservation—is the “real issue” behind the special Parliament session, calling it “extremely dangerous” and an “assault” on the Constitution.In an article published in The Hindu, Congress Rajya Sabha MP argued that any exercise to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha must be “politically and not just arithmetically equitable”, stressing that states which have performed better on population control must not be disadvantaged.
She also accused the government of rushing legislation during an ongoing election cycle in states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to “derive political advantage and place the Opposition on the defensive”.“There can be only one reason for the extraordinary hurry,” she said, alleging it was to gain political advantage. She further accused the prime minister of being “economical with the truth.”
Women’s reservation ‘not the issue’, says Congress
Referring to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, Sonia noted that Parliament had already unanimously passed the law in September 2023, linking women’s reservation to a future Census and delimitation exercise under Article 334-A.“The Opposition had not asked for this condition,” she said, adding that Congress had pushed for implementation from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections itself. She questioned the reported move to amend the provision to enable implementation from 2029, asking why the government was making a “U-turn” after 30 months.She also pointed out that Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had demanded immediate implementation, which the government declined.Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi echoed her concerns, stating that the risks of a “rushed delimitation” were central to the debate.Sonia also highlighted that the law provides for “reservation within reservation” for SCs and STs, and noted that a similar demand for OBC women’s reservation had been raised during the 2023 debate.
Census delay, caste count under fire
Fomer Lok Sabha MP also linked the issue to delays in the Census, noting that the 2021 exercise had been postponed and that enumeration has only recently begun after a five-year delay. She added that the delay had deprived over 10 crore people of their legal entitlements under the National Food Security Act, 2013.She argued that claims that a caste census would slow down the process were unfounded, citing quicker surveys conducted by states like Bihar and Telangana. She also referenced statements by officials that most Census 2027 data would be available the same year due to its digital format, calling the government’s urgency “hollow.”Alleging inconsistency, she said the government had earlier rejected a caste census before later announcing it as part of Census 2027. “The Prime Minister’s real intention now is to further delay and derail the caste census,” she claimed.
Govt pushes ahead with special session
The remarks come ahead of a special Parliament sitting from April 16 to 18, where amendments linked to women’s reservation are expected. The government is also considering a separate delimitation bill, with projections suggesting Lok Sabha seats could increase from 543 to 816.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Sammelan’ in New Delhi, aimed at building support for enhancing women’s representation in legislatures.Former Congress President said Opposition leaders had written thrice seeking an all-party meeting after April 29 to discuss the proposals, but the request was rejected. She criticised the government for instead resorting to op-eds and public outreach, calling it an “underhand tactic” reflecting a “my way or the highway” approach.She also argued that there is no urgency, noting that the Monsoon session begins in mid-July and that proposals could have been discussed then, after wider consultation and public debate.Sonia, however, maintained that the process being followed is “deeply flawed and anti-democratic,” asserting that “reservation for women is not the issue here… the real issue is delimitation.”“Reservation for women is not the issue here. That has already been settled. The real issue is delimitation which, based on the information unofficially available, is extremely dangerous and an assault on the Constitution itself,” Sonia wrote.
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