Oppn objects to clubbing of key Bills in LS, Amit Shah cites past instances

New Delhi, April 16 Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Thursday opposed the government’s move to take up the Delimitation Bill alongside the Constitution Amendment Bill for discussion and passage in the Lok Sabha, arguing that combining the legislations was not an appropriate parliamentary practice.

Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal rose in the House to table the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill 2026, marking a key step in the legislative process. The introduction follows an earlier round of voting in which Members of Parliament supported bringing the Bill forward for discussion.

Raising the issue in the House, Venugopal said, “This is against the rule... Here, one is the Constitution Amendment Bill, and the other two are not... Clubbing will not be a good practice. We cannot allow this; there are consequences. When the Constitution Amendment Bill is going to be defeated, what is the point?”

Responding to the concerns, Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the government’s approach, stating that the nature of voting for a Constitution amendment differs from that of a regular legislative amendment.

“The votes in a constitutional amendment are different compared to an amendment to a law,” Shah said.

He further explained that the introduction of multiple Bills together was part of a broader legislative plan aimed at implementing women’s reservation effectively.

“After the Bill on Constitution amendment, to take the women’s reservation to its logical end, the other two Bills are important. Hence, they have been introduced together,” he added.

Shah maintained that the discussions on all three Bills revolve around the same subject, justifying their simultaneous consideration in the House. He also pointed out that such legislative practices have precedent.

“This has happened several times in the past as well,” he said, citing the passage of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023, when the Opposition agreed to a discussion on all Bills together.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, the Home Minister stated, “They have come here with a decision to oppose everything, so they are opposing everything.”

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