"Against integrity of Country": Congress on Delimitation Bill

New Delhi [India], April 17 : Congress MP Pramod Tiwari ha said that the entire opposition is supporting the Women's Reservation Bill, but "this attempt in the name of the Delimitation Bill is against the integrity of the country."

The Congress leader claimed that the government is clueless and called for the "immediate" implementation of the Bill based on the current numbers.

"Every person has their own views, but the entire opposition is unanimously saying that we are in favour of women's reservation. We stand by what we passed in 2023. Implement the reservation immediately on the current numbers, but this attempt, being made in the name of delimitation, going beyond the scope of the Constitution, is against the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of the country. The entire opposition stands united for the unity and integrity of the country... The government has no answer...," Tiwari told ANI.

MP Congress President Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari termed the Delimitation Bill as an example of "BJP's cunningness".

"Congress has already expressed its support for women's reservation. 25 years ago, Sonia Gandhi introduced the Women's Reservation Bill. The country saw the BJP's role and thinking at that time... The Congress Party wants women's reservation, and it should be implemented. As for delimitation and the bill being introduced by combining three or four elements, this is the BJP's cunningness...," Patwari told ANI.

Congress leader Raj Babbar also echoed the similar sentiments of his colleagues.

"It's not about women's reservation, it's about increasing seats. As far as women's reservation is concerned, Congress supported it... Women should get its true benefits. There is no debate about women's reservation at all...," Babbar told ANI.

The opposition parties have raised serious concerns over the Delimitation Bill and the manner in which the government has sought to increase the strength of Lok Sabha to implement the Women's quota bill.

Participating in a debate in Lok Sabha on three bills, including a legislation to implement women's reservation Act from 2029 general elections and the Delimitation Bill, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of trying to mislead people and attacking democracy in the country.

She attacked the government over the manner in which it is seeking to implement the Women's Reservation Act, saying OBCs are being deprived of their rights, the influence of some states is being reduced and an architecture is being created to strengthen BJP "by blowing democracy to smithereens".

Assuring full support for women's reservation to the government if done with honesty, she called upon the government to implement it within the existing strength of the Lok Sabha, along with reservation for SC, ST and OBC women.

"The government is trying to befool people and is attacking the integrity of the country in a big way. On the one hand, there is big talk, on the other the rights of OBCs are sought to be taken away silently and democracy is being blown to smithereens by reducing power of some states," she alleged.

Priyanka Gandhi questioned the government's decision to link the Women's Reservation (Amendment) Bill to an increase in Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850, based on 2011 population Census figures.

"Firstly, it is written that Women Reservation should be implemented from 2029. We support it. Then it says that to implement the Bill, the Lok Sabha seats would increase from 533 to 850. It would be based on the 2011 population census," she said, expressing concern over the removal of the 2023 provision that required population census followed by delimitation.

"They want to move forward with the 2011 census because there are no figures for the OBC community in it," she said, noting that the Constitution is for everyone and cannot run by "snatching somebody's right".

The Wayanad MP alleged lack of transparency in the seat expansion process, calling it "dangerous" with no clear mechanism for how it would occur.

"Another dangerous thing in this is that there is no clear process mentioned about how the 50% change in the Lok Sabha will take place," she said.

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