Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023, accusing the government of linking the legislation to delimitation.
Gandhi said the law, which was passed by Parliament in 2023, should be implemented without attaching any conditions.
Rahul Gandhi questions delay
Reacting to Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, Gandhi said the Congress had supported the legislation when it was passed.
“Mr Rijiju, who would know better than you, as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs — that the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 has already been passed unanimously, with the full support of the Congress. The question is, why has it still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation? Implement the 2023 law. Without any conditions,” said Gandhi on X.
His remarks came after Rijiju responded to a video in which Gandhi spoke about women’s empowerment.
“This seems to be a positive message from the Congress Party. There’s a visible change of heart in Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji about women. Now, I hope the Congress Party will support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally,” he said.
Gandhi speaks on women’s freedom
In the video shared on X, Gandhi also spoke about the need to address patriarchal restrictions on women.
“A certain amount of freedom from this patriarchy, a certain amount of freedom from the rigid control India’s men impose on their women is required if India has to really develop. This is the political philosophy I subscribe to…one thing we absolutely have to do is reinvigorate it and bring women back into the conversation where they should be and allow them to express themselves the way they want to,” Gandhi said in video posted on X.
Women’s quota and delimitation debate
The exchange comes amid a wider political dispute over the implementation of the 2023 law, which provides for one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The BJP introduced the 131st Amendment in the Lok Sabha in April as a proposed amendment to the 2023 legislation. The proposal sought to raise the constitutional ceiling on Lok Sabha seats from 550 to 850 and allow delimitation based on the 2011 Census.
The Bill was defeated after failing to secure the two-thirds majority required for the constitutional amendment.
There has, however, been speculation that the government could reintroduce the legislation during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, provided it has the numbers needed for passage.