Pro-reservation, but against 'politically motivated' Bill: INDIA bloc

A day before the commencement of the special Parliament session on the women’s reservation issue, the INDIA bloc has calibrated its response, asserting that it will oppose what it calls a “politically motivated” legislative move by the government.

Emerging from a meeting of Opposition parties, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition “fully supports reservation for women” but is opposed to the manner in which the government is seeking to implement it.

“The Modi government is acting in a way that targets and suppresses Opposition parties. We have consistently supported the Women’s Reservation Bill and have insisted that it be implemented in line with the earlier constitutional amendment already passed,” Kharge said.

He further alleged that the government is attempting to push a “deeply flawed, unconstitutional and anti-federal” delimitation exercise alongside the proposal. “The government appears to be playing certain tricks on delimitation,” he added.

Jairam Ramesh also addressed the media, outlining the consensus reached among Opposition parties. Speaking on their behalf, he said the bloc supports one-third reservation for women, to be implemented on the basis of the current Lok Sabha strength of 543.

He added that the Opposition favours operationalising the quota from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, while remaining firmly opposed to any delimitation exercise. He asserted that Opposition parties will participate in the debate in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and register their strong opposition to such provisions.

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi had also questioned the Centre’s intent, arguing that the real issue is not women’s reservation but delimitation. In an article published in The Hindu, she termed the exercise “extremely dangerous” and “an assault on the Constitution itself.”

“Reservation for women is not the issue here. That has already been settled. The real issue is delimitation,” she wrote.

Taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi questioned the urgency behind convening the 16–18 April special session, particularly when assembly election are underway in states such as Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

“There can be only one reason for this extraordinary haste to derive political advantage and place the Opposition on the defensive,” she alleged, accusing the government of attempting to “bulldoze” key legislation.

Parliament had unanimously passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023, which provides for one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, to be implemented after a Census-linked delimitation exercise.

Meanwhile, both the BJP and the Congress have issued three-line whips to their MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, mandating attendance during the special session.

Although the official text of the proposed legislation has not yet been made public, the Union Cabinet is learnt to have cleared draft bills to operationalise the Act ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

This include increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats, with 273 seats reserved for women.

As per media reports, the legislative package is expected to include a constitutional amendment to modify provisions of the Act, along with changes to the Delimitation Act to enable redrawing of constituencies.

Another proposed Bill is likely to extend the reservation framework to Union Territories with legislatures, including Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.

While the Opposition has reiterated its long-standing support for women’s reservation, it has framed the government’s current move as politically driven, with broader constitutional and federal implications tied to delimitation.