BJP issues whip for special session on Women's Reservation Bill

The BJP has issued a mandatory three-line whip for all its MPs for a special Parliament session from April 16-18 to discuss the Women's Reservation Bill. The Congress has objected, urging an all-party meet and citing a lack of consultation.

BJP Issues Whip for Special Parliament Session

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday issued a three-line whip to all its Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, directing them to remain present in the House from April 16 to 18 during the upcoming Parliament session, making attendance mandatory and stating that no leave will be granted for the duration. This comes as the Parliament is set to meet for a three-day special session from April 16, with a focus on the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill.

The letter read, "A Three-Line Whip is being issued to all BJP Members in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha from Thursday to Saturday, 16th to 18th April 2026. All Hon'ble Union Ministers and Members are requested to remain present in the House throughout all three above-mentioned dates. Presence in the House is mandatory. No leave will be granted. Members are requested to strictly comply with the Whip and ensure their uninterrupted attendance in the House. Your cooperation is highly appreciated."

Key Amendments Planned for Women's Reservation Bill

The Government has planned two major amendments. 2023's Nari Shakti Vandan Act tied women's reservation to the new census and delimitation. Due to census delays, the plan is to proceed with the 2011 census data.

Opposition Demands Consultation, Cites Lack of Details

Earlier in the day, Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss proposed constitutional amendments linked to the Women's Reservation Bill and the issue of delimitation. He alleged that the special Parliament session has been called without taking the Opposition into confidence, and warned that key details are still not clear for a meaningful discussion.

Concerns Over Delimitation Details

In the letter, Kharge wrote, "I have just received your letter on the special session of Parliament for a discussion on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam from the 16th of April...This special sitting has been called without taking us into confidence and your government is seeking our cooperation again without revealing any details on the delimitation going to be done. You will appreciate that without details of the delimitation and other aspects, it would be impossible to have any useful discussion on this historic law."

Allegations of Political Mileage

"You mention in your letter that your government has engaged in dialogue with political parties regarding this. However, I am pained to point out that this goes against the truth since all the Opposition parties have been urging the Government to call an All-Party meeting after the current round of elections is over on April 29th 2026 to discuss the Constitution amendments being contemplated. The calling of a special sitting during the ongoing state elections only reinforces our belief that your government is hurrying the implementation of the bill to gain political mileage rather than truly empower women," the letter read.

Proposal for All-Party Meeting

"If the special sitting is meant to "strengthen our democracy" and "moving forward together, taking everyone along" as you write in the letter, then I would suggest that the government convene an All-Party meeting any time after April 29th to discuss the delimitation issue which is being linked to the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023," the letter read.

(ANI)

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