Union Minister Giriraj Singh confident of Women's Reservation Bill passage, dismisses opposition concerns

New Delhi [India], April 16 : Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday expressed confidence that the Women's Reservation Bill would be passed in Parliament with broad consensus, asserting that all political parties would eventually support the legislation despite objections raised by the opposition over delimitation and related issues.

Speaking on the Bill, Giriraj Singh said, "The Women's Reservation Bill is being introduced. The opposition says they have objections to delimitation and won't support it."

He added, "I feel, and I'm fully confident, that when they enter the House, they will feel empathy for women. Women have been waiting for years, and their patience is running out. Everyone will come together to pass it; those who don't won't even get food at home."

Rejecting concerns over regional imbalance, he said, "There will be no discrimination anywhere. The bill will come to the House, and the subject will be presented. There's no need to doubt it before it's even presented. I'm fully confident that just as it was passed before, it will be passed now. No discrimination against any state, equality for all."

On allegations linking the Bill to delimitation concerns, he said, "No one will suffer a loss. No one needs to worry."

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the intent and timing of the Bill, calling it a "secret plan of secretive people."

He said, " It is not against women's reservation, but against the manner in which it's being brought."

Linking it to census and caste census debates, he added, "If a census is conducted, the country will demand a caste census. If a caste census happens, the country will demand reservations. They want to avoid all this."

He further said, "These people are against the victims, the Dalits, the Muslims, the backward classes, and half of the population."

Questioning the basis of reservation, he said, "If we talk about 33%, is the data correct? Until the data is correct, how can we say the reservation is correct?"

Clarifying his party's position, Akhilesh Yadav said, "The Samajwadi Party is in favor of women's reservation but against the other bills."

SP MP Rajeev Rai also said, "The way the Women's Reservation Bill was passed in 2023 is exactly how we want it. That bill was passed unanimously, and bringing amendments shows there is a flaw in the government's intentions. We oppose it regarding delimitation, regarding the census not being conducted. If there is a debate, we will put forth all the matters in Parliament."

The three important bills are likely to be introduced in the special session of Parliament starting today, including one to reserve seats for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and another to redraw constituency boundaries.

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