True intent of bills brought by govt mischievous, have to be rejected completely: Cong

The Congress on Thursday said the true intent of the bills being brought by the government in the garb of implementing women's quota law is mischievous and they have to be rejected completely in their present shape and form. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the three bills are being taken up in Lok Sabha and the packaging and marketing is women's reservation but the fundamentals have to do with delimitation. "Many concerns have been raised from across the country regarding the delimitation proposals that privilege a few populous states where the BJP is strong now. The relative strength of a number of states in the Lok Sabha will actually decline," Ramesh said on X. The way delimitation has actually been done in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir shows how "diabolically the Modi-Shah duo work" he said. "The true intent of these Bills is mischievous, their content devious, and their damage enormous. They have to be rejected completely in their present shape and form," Ramesh asserted. "The Opposition demand is simple: Reserve one-third of the current strength of the Lok Sabha of 543 for women along with reservation for women belonging to SC, ST, and OBC communities," he said.

This was the Opposition's position in 2023 and this continues to be the position even now, he added. "This is true power-sharing and vastly more democratic and in keeping with Constitutional values and principles," Ramesh said. His remarks came as government has listed three bills for introduction in Lok Sabha on Thursday to implement the women's quota law by 2029, and increase the strength of the House to up to 850. According to a bulletin issued on Wednesday, 'The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026', 'The Delimitation Bill, 2026' and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2026' will be introduced and debated for passage in the Lower House. While Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will introduce the first two bills, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will introduce the third one. According to the draft Constitution amendment bill, Lok Sabha seats will be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. Seats will also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women. The seats reserved for women in Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies "shall be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a state or Union territory," the draft bill circulated among Lok Sabha members said.

Several opposition parties on Wednesday decided to unitedly vote against the delimitation provisions in the Constitution amendment bill in Parliament, while asserting that they are not against reservation for women in legislative bodies. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the opposition parties are opposed to the manner in which the bill is being brought and alleged that it is politically motivated. The leaders of several INDIA bloc constituents, besides the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), met at Kharge's residence here on Wednesday to evolve a joint strategy in Parliament during its three-day special sitting starting Thursday. In a post on X, Ramesh said on Wednesday night, "The Opposition will do whatever it takes to defeat the Constitution Amendment Bill especially. The country should prepare itself for a political earthquake." The special three-day sitting of Parliament will be held Thursday, during which amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, commonly known as the Women's Reservation Act, mandating 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, will be brought for implementation in 2029. The total strength of the ruling NDA in the Lok Sabha stands at 292, while the major opposition parties have 233 MPs. For the Constitution amendment bill to be through, it requires a two-thirds majority of those present in the House at the time of voting.