New Delhi [India], April 16 : Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday raised objections over aspects of the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill, while reiterating that the party supports the legislation in principle.
Yadav said the Bill was being brought without clarity on population data and caste inclusion.
"This Bill is being brought without a population census or including the backward classes. This is being brought for appeasement. We are in favour of this Bill, but why are they bringing it right now? And which census is being considered?" the Samajwadi Party chief said. He was speaking with mediapersons outside Parliament.
He further questioned the issue of constituency restructuring, adding, "Every party supports this, but what about the new map of the constituencies that the 'Khufiya' people made? This question is about delimitation, how will the new constituencies be made..."
Earlier this morning speaking in the Lok Sabha, the SP chief said that his party supports women's reservation in principle but opposes linking it to delimitation without updated population data.
"Why is the Centre rushing for women's reservation? Start with the Census first" Yadav said.
He further alleged that the Centre was delaying the Census to avoid demands for caste-based enumeration. "Samajwadi Party is for women's reservation, but is opposed to the approach via delimitation. They are delaying the census because when it happens, we will ask for the caste census, and then the reservation issue will come and they dont want it," the SP chief said.
In response to Yadav's criticism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly rejected any proposal for religion-based reservation, stating in the Lok Sabha that such a provision would be unconstitutional. He asserted that a reservation cannot be granted based on religion.
Shah said the 2027 Census is underway and will include caste enumeration. "The Census process has already started across the country, and after that, we will also conduct a caste-based census," the Union Home Minister said.
Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP claims to be the largest party, yet women do not comprise even 10 per cent of its total MLAs. "Naari ko naara banana chahti hai BJP (The BJP is trying to turn women into just a slogan)."
Meanwhile, Akhilesh's party colleague and MP Dharmendra Yadav also raised concerns over the intent behind the legislation, saying the Women's Reservation Bill was being brought with an "ulterior motive," alleging it could reshape constituencies in a way similar to delimitation in Assam and Kashmir, and questioned the government's intent despite all-party support for the legislation.
Speaking to ANI, Dharmendra Yadav stated, "Even when I first raised my objection, I maintained that, under the guise of women's reservation, the underlying intent is something else entirely. Their true intention is to turn the entire country into an 'Assam' or a 'Kashmir', mirroring the manner in which delimitation was carried out in those regions. All political parties across the country were united in their support for the Women's Reservation Bill."
He added, "It was passed unanimously in 2023. Why, then, has this new issue of delimitation suddenly surfaced? The government, using women as a pretext, seeks to manipulate the entire national system to suit its own agenda, a move that the Opposition is actively opposing..."
The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and The Delimitation Bill, 2026 were introduced and taken up for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought unanimous support for the bills. Opposition parties have raised strong concerns over the Delimitation Bill.
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