"It is a puzzle, won't tell the answer just like that": Rahul Gandhi on his "number 16" jibe at BJP-led government

New Delhi [India], April 17 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who made "number 16" jibe at the treasury benches during his speech in Lok Sabha on Friday on three new bills, refused to elaborate on it in his brief interaction with reporters and said "it is a puzzle" and he "won't tell the answer just like that".

"It is a puzzle, I won't tell the answer just like that. If I find the solution, I will tell you this is it," he said, when asked about his "number 16" remarks.

The Congress leader took the jibe towards the end of his speech and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not able to engage during his speech on the three bills in the House yesterday.

"I am going to give you and everyone else a nice puzzle...Yesterday, I was watching the Prime Minister speak, low energy...nothing transmitted, not able to engage. Clearly, trying to pass this bill was a mistake because everybody knew... I noticed on my phone it was the 16th of April. I was like My God, how crazy! That's the number: Sixteen. The whole answer to the riddle is in the number 16. Everything is in the number 16....The answer to your problems and you are going to find out very soon is in number 16," he said.

BJP members raised objections to Rahul Gandhi's remarks.

In his speech, Rahul Gandhi slammed the government over the Delimitation Bill, which is among the legislations to implement women's reservation from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, and said it has "nothing to do with the empowerment of women" and is an "attempt to change the electoral map of India."

"The first truth is that this is not a women's bill. This has nothing to do with the empowerment of women. This is an attempt to change the electoral map of India. Actually, it is a shameful act," he said.

"What is being attempted here is a bypass of the caste census. What they are trying to do is they are trying to avoid giving power, giving representation to my OBC brothers and sisters, and take away from them...the point is not that, but the point is that whether the caste census is going to be used for representation in Parliament, Vidhan Sabha. What you are trying to do is to make sure that the caste census has nothing to do with representation. So that you can kick the ball down by 10 years," he added.

Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said the opposition will not allow the three bills to be passed and said the government should implement the Nari Shakti Act without delay.

"Giving the women's reservation, which is easy to do, and every Opposition member will pass it...bring that old bill back right now, we will help you pass it with implementation this second. That is the women's bill, this is something else. The truth needs to be told about what this is," he said

He accused the BJP-led Central government of trying to "rejig the entire political map of India" in an attempt to remain in power.

"Second thing being done, equally bad and dangerous is that because you are scared of what is happening in the politics of this country, you are scared of the erosion of your strength. You are scared of the erosion of your strength. You are trying to rejig the Indian political map. You have done it in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and you are trying to imagine you can do it for the rest of India," Gandhi said.

"Let me explain what you are doing. You are telling the South Indian, Northeastern states, smaller states that for BJP to remain in power, we are going to take away representation from you. This is nothing short of an anti-national act. Under no circumstances will we allow you to do it," he added.

Lok Sabha on Friday resumed discussion on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.

The discussion began yesterday afternoon and continued late in night till 1.25 am.

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