INDIA bloc to oppose delimitation bill linked to women's reservation

INDIA bloc leaders will oppose the delimitation bill tied to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. While supporting 33% women's reservation, they object to the delimitation process, calling it a 'politically motivated' move to weaken southern states.

INDIA bloc leaders on Wednesday decided to oppose the delimitation bill pushed with an amendment to Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, to provide 33 per cent reservation for women legislators in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

The opposition clarified that it is not against the women's reservation and urged them to implement Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 but objected to the delimitation process, which they believe weakens the representation of the southern and north-eastern states in the Lok Sabha. The decision was made in a meeting at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi. Along with Congress President, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, RJD Working President Tejashwi Yadav, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, and other prominent INDIA bloc leaders attended the meeting.

'Politically Motivated' Move

After the meeting, Mallikarjun Kharge announced the INDIA bloc's decision, accusing the government of making a "politically motivated" move to suppress the opposition parties. "We are all in favour of the Women's Reservation Bill. But the way in which they have brought it, we have reservations about that. It is politically motivated. Just to suppress the Opposition parties, the govt is doing this. Though we have supported the Women's Reservation Bill continuously, we insist that the earlier amendments be implemented. They are playing some tricks with delimitation. We all parties should unitedly should fight in Parliament. We will oppose this bill, but we are not against the reservation (for women)," Kharge said.

"The way in which they have put in the bill, be it delimitation, they have not even cleared the census. All powers of the Constitution are being taken by the executive. Mostly, the power which can be exercised by the institutions, the parliament they have given is so that they can change delimitation at any time...They have already deceived us in Assam and J&K," he added.

'Delimitation is Very Dangerous'

Adding to Kharge's statement, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh expressed concern over the delimitation move, alleging that the delimitation commission is a "weapon" in the hands of the BJP. "This delimitation is very dangerous. According to this bill, the proportion of many states will decrease, especially for southern states and northeastern states. The way the delimitation commission has worked in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir, it is clear that the commission is a weapon in the BJP's hands to gain a majority. We are against the delimitation. We want women's reservation from the next Lok Sabha election," he said.

Government's Plan and Proposed Changes

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women legislators, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha. The government is planning to implement the women's reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections by bringing in an amendment to the 2023 Act and a constitutional amendment to delink the delimitation process from the 2027 census. According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.

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