Lok Sabha showdown: Govt, Oppn spar over merits of Bills

New Delhi, April 16 As the three-day special sitting of Parliament began this morning to debate and discuss three legislations, the Lok Sabha witnessed fireworks and uproar, with Opposition and treasury benches engaging in a war of words over the ‘merits’ of the proposed amendments.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill and the Delimitation Bill 2026, while Home Minister Amit Shah proposed to introduce the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Congress MP K.C. Venugopal voiced strong opposition to the introduction of the bills, claiming that this was an attempt to alter the constitutional fabric of the nation for certain motives.

Lok Sabha Speaker intervened, asking them to reserve their arguments during Rule 72 and assured the Opposition of providing ample time to put forth their objections during the full-fledged debate.

HM Shah countered Venugopal’s charges, stating that this was the time to raise technical objections to the introduction of the bills, but the latter was questioning the ‘merits’ of the bills.

Samajwadi Party fiercely opposed the bills on constitutional grounds, claiming that this would destroy the federal structure and curtail parliamentary democracy.

SP MP Dharmendra Yadav demanded that the proposed amendments and bills be withdrawn, while the women’s reservation bill, which was passed in 2023, be brought into force with immediate effect.

The SP lawmaker’s scathing criticism, however, sparked controversy as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju strongly objected to his demands for inclusion of a special quota for Muslim women.

Rijiju asserted that the SP leader’s demand for special reservation for Muslim women is totally uncalled for and asked him to refrain from adding communal flavour to the debate.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also objected to the introduction of bills, stating that this is against the very basis of federalism and the Constitutional framework.

The government and opposition have been at loggerheads over the women's reservation bill and delimitation bill, as the former is seeking to operationalise the quota for women from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections while the latter is calling it an attempt to pass delimitation from the backdoor, using the women’s reservation as a ‘front’.

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