A significant political confrontation has emerged on the social media platform X between Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. The debate centers on the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill, specifically focusing on the prerequisites of delimitation and the national census. The exchange highlights the deep divide between the government and the opposition regarding the timeline for providing 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Rijiju Accuses Congress of Ignoring Historical Mistakes
The conflict began when Kiren Rijiju posted a critique of the current Congress leadership, comparing them unfavorably to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Rijiju shared a video of Indira Gandhi where she was seen defending the arrest of opposition leaders like Morarji Desai during the Emergency, claiming they were destroying democracy. Rijiju noted that while he disagrees with Indira Gandhi's policies, she at least acknowledged her actions clearly. He asserted that the modern Congress party seems unable to realize or accept its own mistakes and shortcomings. This comment was a direct response to Rahul Gandhi's earlier challenges regarding the government's intent behind the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023.
Rahul Gandhi Questions the Delay in Implementation
Rahul Gandhi had earlier raised questions about why the Women's Reservation Bill 2023, which was passed with full support from the Congress party, has not yet been implemented. He questioned the government's decision to link the law's execution to the process of delimitation. Gandhi wrote to Rijiju, stating that as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, he should know that the bill was passed without any dissent and with the complete backing of the opposition. He demanded to know why, even after three years, the law remains on paper and why it's being unnecessarily tied to the delimitation process. Gandhi's stance is that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023 should be implemented immediately and without any conditions.
The Karnataka Cabinet Counter-Attack
In a sharp rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi's demands, Kiren Rijiju pointed towards the Congress-led government in Karnataka. K. Shivakumar in Karnataka doesn't have a single woman minister. Rijiju argued that this lack of representation raises serious questions about the sincerity of the Congress party's stand on the 33 percent women's quota. He suggested that before questioning the central government, the Congress should look at its own administrative choices where they've the power to act.
Technical and Constitutional Hurdles Explained
Rijiju provided a detailed explanation of why the reservation can't be implemented immediately. He clarified that the reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies is governed by the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act 2023. According to the legal framework, this reservation will only come into effect after the delimitation process is initiated, which in turn depends on the publication of census data collected after 2023. Specifically, this refers to the census data to be published after the year 2026. Rijiju noted that the process for publishing census data after 2026 is currently underway, but due to complexities such as the demand for a caste-based census, the final publication could take considerable time. He warned that if these processes are delayed, the implementation of women's reservation might not happen before the 2034 general elections. That's why, to ensure implementation by the 2029 general elections, the delimitation work must begin as soon as possible based on the latest census data.
The Failure of the 131st Amendment Bill
The debate also touched upon the legislative history of the bill, while while the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023 was passed by both houses of Parliament, a subsequent related bill, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026, failed to pass in the Lok Sabha on April 17. This bill contained provisions related to the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies alongside the 33 percent reservation for women. It failed because it couldn't secure the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. The opposition continues to demand that the women's reservation be decoupled from the delimitation process to speed up its execution, while the government maintains that the two are legally and constitutionally linked.