Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused Opposition parties of creating hurdles for the Women's Reservation Act. He countered their 'ifs and buts' by offering to increase state seats by 50% and said opposing delimitation hurts SC/ST interests.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched a sharp attack on Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha, accusing them of creating obstacles for early implementation of the Women's Reservation Act.
Shah Blames Opposition for Historical Delays in Delimitation
Amit Shah, who was replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on the three bills brought by the government to expedite women's reservation, said that in 1972, the then Prime Minister first brought a Delimitation Bill, increasing the number of seats from 525 to 545, and then froze them. He stated that in 1976, during the Emergency, the 42nd Amendment was brought which halted delimitation in order to retain power. "At that time too, the principal opposition party had deprived the people of the country of delimitation, and even today, it is the same party that is depriving the nation of it," he said.
'Seats Will Be Increased by 50% for Every State'
"If we implement women's reservation based on 543 seats, then 13 seats will get reserved for women, and 26 will remain open in Tamil Nadu. If we implement women's reservation based on the 2011 census, then the number of parliamentary seats will reduce by 6. But we are not doing so. We are increasing seats by 50% for every state," Shah added.
The Union Minister said the women of the country are watching who is creating a hurdle in their way. He said he is willing to state in the bill that there will be a 50 per cent increase in the number of seats for states.
No Reservation Based on Religion, Shah Clarifies
"Some members here have spread the misconception that reservation will also be given to Muslim women. I want to clarify that the Constitution does not allow reservations based on religion. If the reason to oppose this bill is that there should be 50% reservation, then halt the proceedings for an hour, and I will bring an official amendment to this bill, but first they (opposition) need to promise to pass the bill," he said.
Assurances on Seat Share for Southern States
"Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Keralam - the strength of these five states in the 543 parliamentary seats is currently 129, which is 23.76%. After a 50% increase, when we allocate the seats for these five states, it will rise from 129 to 195, which will represent 23.87% in 816 seats. No one will be at a loss," he added.
'Rise Above North-South Narrative'
Shah, while attacking the opposition, said there should not be any north-south divide. "To make sure that there is no confusion in the minds of 140 crore Indians, I want to make it clear that the Narendra Modi Cabinet had decided to hold caste census along with 2026 census. The country should not be divided by this 'north-south' 'east-west' narrative. We should rise above it. All states and UTs have equal rights in this parliament," said Shah.
Opposing Delimitation is Opposing SC/ST Seat Increase: Shah
He argued that the delimitation exercise is the only way to increase the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, making opposition to it a stand against their interests. "I assure them that if they support us for delimitation, then the value of each vote will have equal value across constituencies," he said.
He said nearly 133 took part in the debate on the bill, of which 56 were women. "No one has objected to the women's reservation. But, if we see closely, all members of the INDI alliance have opposed it by using 'ifs and buts. Those opposing delimitation are actually opposing an increase in SC/ST seats," Shah stated.
The Constitution Amendment Bill was later defeated in the Lok Sabha. (ANI)
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