Rahul hits out at Modi's ‘anti-national power grab’, bid to 'rig' representation via delimitation

Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting an “anti-national power grab” through proposed amendments linked to the implementation of women’s reservation and a fresh delimitation exercise, alleging the move would dilute representation of OBCs and disadvantage smaller states.

In a video message released a day before the Constitution Amendment Bill on operationalising women’s reservation and delimitation was tabled in the Lok Sabha, the LoP alleged the government was attempting what he termed “hissa chori” — stealing the rightful share of backward classes — by relying on outdated Census data.

Gandhi said the Congress fully supports women’s reservation but opposed what he described as the BJP’s attempt to link its implementation to a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census, which does not include updated data on OBC populations.

“A massive act of dishonesty is being perpetrated. The prime minister does not want women’s reservation to be implemented on the basis of a caste census or the upcoming Census. He wants to snatch away the rightful share of OBC participation,” Gandhi said.

He argued that backward classes constitute roughly 50 per cent of India’s population and should receive representation proportionate to their numbers. “The Census is ongoing. Why can the government not use updated OBC data while implementing women’s reservation in Parliament?” he asked.

Gandhi also alleged that the proposed delimitation exercise could significantly reduce the relative representation of southern, northeastern, northwestern and smaller states, calling it “one more dangerous aspect” of the proposal.

“If what the prime minister wants happens, smaller states and southern and northeastern states will suffer a major decline in representation,” he said.

He urged the government to base any delimitation exercise on the 2026 Census rather than 2011 data, reiterating that the constitutional framework for implementing women’s reservation already exists under the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam passed in 2023.

“What is being proposed now has nothing to do with women’s reservation. This is an attempt to capture power through delimitation and gerrymandering,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

“We will not allow ‘hissa chori’ from OBC, Dalit and Adivasi communities by ignoring caste census data. Nor will we allow smaller states or southern and northeastern states to be treated unfairly,” he added.

The draft Constitution Amendment Bill proposes increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to as many as 850 to facilitate implementation of the 33 per cent quota for women ahead of the 2029 general election, following a delimitation exercise based on the most recent Census figures.

The proposal also envisages an increase in the number of seats in state and Union Territory Assemblies to accommodate the reservation quota.

Senioir Opposition leaders met at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday to coordinate a joint strategy on the proposed legislation.

After the meeting, Kharge said Opposition parties were not opposed to women’s reservation but would collectively oppose the delimitation provisions in the Constitution Amendment Bill, which he described as politically motivated.

With PTI inputs