Women's Reservation Bill: Kharge demands public draft, wider talks

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge raised questions over the Women's Reservation Bill, calling for the draft to be made public. He criticized the Centre's lack of transparency and the plan to use the delayed 2011 census for delimitation.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday raised questions over the Women's Reservation Bill, calling on the Centre to make the draft public and ensure wider consultation before its implementation.

'Where is the draft?': Kharge Questions Transparency

Speaking on the Women's Reservation Bill, Priyank Kharge said that while his party supports women's reservation, the process followed by the Centre lacks transparency. He questioned the absence of the bill's draft in the public domain and asked whether stakeholders, particularly women, had been consulted before the Cabinet cleared it. "What is the Bill? Has anyone seen it? What is it about? While we support women's reservation, the Cabinet has passed the Bill -- where is the draft?" Kharge said.

Concerns Over Delimitation and Delayed Census

He further raised concerns over the proposed delimitation exercise linked to the 2011 Census, stating that the Census should have been conducted in 2020 but was delayed. "The census has been delayed deliberately, and now they want delimitation without updated data," he added. Kharge emphasised that such an important reform should involve wider discussions and transparency to ensure fair representation.

Wider Political Debate Emerges

His remarks come amid growing political debate over the proposed amendments to the Women's Reservation Bill, which the government is expected to take up during a special Parliament session beginning April 16.

Earlier, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also sought clarity on the bill, stating that the opposition has not yet seen its draft and needs to assess its implications for federalism and legislative functioning.

Details of Proposed Amendments

The proposed changes include using the 2011 census data for delimitation, potentially increasing Lok Sabha seats from 543 to around 816, with nearly one-third reserved for women. The legislation, along with a Delimitation Bill, is expected to be introduced as Constitutional amendments. (ANI)

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