Union Minister Chirag Paswan argues that linking delimitation with the Women's Reservation Bill is essential to address population imbalances in constituencies, despite criticism from opposition parties questioning the government's strategy.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan Defends Delimitation and Women's Reservation Linkage
Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday asserted that delimitation is absolutely essential and hoped that the opposition would come to appreciate the importance and gravity of the proposed Bill during the special session of Parliament. Speaking to reporters, he said the opposition leadership fails to grasp the rationale behind the decision to link the delimitation process with the Women reservation ('Nari Shakti Adhiniyam').
"We have convened sessions in the past as well, and the primary objective here is to address the concerns of various political parties regarding delimitation... In this context, the Prime Minister and our central government have put forward a proposal. Questions are being raised as to why delimitation and the 'Nari Shakti Adhiniyam' are being linked together—why were they not kept separate?... The opposition leadership fails to grasp the rationale behind our decision to link the delimitation process with the 'Nari Shakti Adhiniyam'," he said.
He added, "There are some Lok Sabha constituencies with a population of only a few hundred thousand, while others—take my own constituency, for example—have a population of approximately 2.5 million. Given this imbalance and the lack of proportionality, delimitation is absolutely essential. I hope and trust that during this special session, the opposition will come to appreciate the importance and gravity of this matter..."
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy on Friday questioned the government's delay in convening a special session of Parliament, saying that the government must first put forward its proposals if it intends to introduce a Delimitation Bill. Speaking to ANI, Roy said, "...It is surprising that the government has not yet taken any decision regarding convening a special session. The government has kept Parliament in suspension for more than three months. This is not the way to run Parliament. If the government wishes to introduce a Delimitation Bill, it must first put forward its proposals..."
This comes amid the ongoing political debate over women's reservation and the proposed delimitation exercise, with the implementation of the 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies linked to a census and a subsequent delimitation exercise. The Congress leader claimed that the Centre was convening a three-day special session to pass the proposed bills. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and accused him of attempting to push the Centre's delimitation agenda.
The proposed Delimitation Bill aims to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 850. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, maintains that delimitation is a constitutional necessity to reflect new census data and facilitate the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha. However, the opposition INDIA bloc, led by the Congress, has demanded the immediate implementation of 33 per cent women's reservation in the existing 543-member Lok Sabha and opposed linking it to the delimitation exercise.
