Opposition Slams Linking Women’s Reservation Bill to Delimitation and Census

New Delhi (IANS): Leaders from the Congress and CPI-M clarified on Thursday that they support the Women’s Reservation Bill but criticized the Central government for delaying its implementation. The opposition specifically targeted the government’s decision to link the 33% reservation to the future census and delimitation exercise.

Opposition leaders argued that while Parliament passed the Bill unanimously in 2023, the government has failed to operationalize it. They alleged that the Centre could have implemented the reservation within the current 543 Lok Sabha seats immediately instead of tying it to future demographic shifts.

Congress MP Jebi Mather told IANS that the move lacks genuine intent regarding women’s empowerment. “If the government were serious, it could have implemented 33 per cent reservation in the existing Lok Sabha seats in 2023 itself,” she said, suggesting the current focus is more about delimitation than reservation.

Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy echoed these views, noting that the government inserted a clause to enforce the law only after the census, which stalled its use in the 2024 elections. Similarly, MP Hibi Eden recalled that the UPA regime first introduced the legislation and emphasized that a constitutional amendment of this scale requires broader consensus and consultation with all parties.

CPI-M MP John Brittas demanded the immediate implementation of one-third reservation in the current Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. He also flagged serious political concerns regarding delimitation, particularly for southern states. Brittas warned that if seat distribution shifts heavily toward the North based on population, it would upset the federal balance and politically subordinate the South.

In contrast, leaders from the ruling alliance dismissed these criticisms as attempts to create confusion. JD-U MP Sanjay Kumar Jha defended delimitation as a routine and necessary exercise for growing populations. Meanwhile, BJP MP Manan Kumar Mishra rejected the opposition’s claims as “misleading,” stating that delimitation is a natural process and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision ensures women will receive their rightful representation once the gaps are addressed.