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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India is set to take a “historic step” towards women’s empowerment as a special session of Parliament convenes from April 16 to 18.
In a post on X, Narendra Modi said, “Starting today, in the special session of Parliament, our country is all set to take a historic step towards women’s empowerment. The respect for our mothers and sisters is the respect for the nation, and with this very spirit, we are moving forward resolutely in this direction.”
However, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Congress supports women’s reservation but raised strong objections to the proposed delimitation process. He alleged that the move could undermine representation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Dalits, and Adivasis.
Rahul Gandhi stated that delimitation should only be conducted after the 2026 Census and must incorporate caste census data. He termed the proposal an “attempted power grab using delimitation and gerrymandering” and said the opposition would not allow what he described as “Hissa Chori” from marginalized communities. He also accused the BJP and RSS of opposing caste census-based representation.
Referring to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, Rahul Gandhi said that if the government is serious about women’s reservation, it should implement the law already passed by Parliament in 2023.
The Centre is reportedly planning to operationalise women’s reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections through amendments, including a constitutional provision to delink delimitation from the 2027 Census. The proposal includes increasing Lok Sabha seats from the current 543 to 850, with 815 seats allocated to states and 35 to Union Territories.
Opposition to the delimitation proposal has been intensifying, particularly after the government approved draft amendment bills to implement the provisions of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
Amid the escalating political row, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Friday burned a copy of the proposed delimitation bill and launched a statewide protest, raising black flags against the move.(Agencies)
