Women’s quota bill: Opposition spars with government over delimitation – Highlights from special session of Parliament

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha witnessed a showdown between the opposition and the finance minister as the government on Thursday introduced a bill to amend the women’s quota law and set up a delimitation commission.Soon after federal law minister takes charge, house erupts Arjun Ram Meghwal Introducing the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and the Delimitation Bill 2026, while Home Minister Amit Shah It is proposed to introduce the Federal Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.The bill was introduced after a heated debate of 40 minutes, after which the opposition urged split votes to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill.The bill was subsequently introduced, with 251 MPs supporting it and 185 voting against it.Congress MP KC Venugopal strongly opposed the introduction of these bills, claiming that it was an attempt to change the constitutional structure of the country with certain motives.“I am opposed to the bill introduced by Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Amit Shah. The bill is a fundamental attack on the federal structure of India. What exactly is the intention of the bill?”The Speaker of the Lok Sabha intervened, asking him to reserve his arguments during Rule 72 and assuring the opposition to provide sufficient time to raise objections during the formal debate.“Why is the government so anxious?”Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav supports reservation for women in principle but questions the urgency behind the bills.He said the government should first conduct a census before undertaking demarcation-related reforms, underscoring concerns about outdated population data.“Why is the government so anxious? We support the women’s reservation bill. They don’t want a census because then we will demand caste reservations and you want to mislead.”Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi also criticized the government, claiming that it was linking women’s reservation with delimitation and creating hurdles in delaying the implementation of women’s reservation.He argued that based on the current strength of the Lok Sabha, the quota could be implemented immediately and accused the Center of using the bill as a backdoor route for delimitation.“Time and time again you have created barriers to women’s retention. If you listen to us in 2023, female reservations will be implemented in 2024. “Gogoi said.“Women’s reservation should be implemented based on the existing strength of the Lok Sabha – 543; it must not be linked to delimitation.” “This bill is not for women’s reservation but for delimitation through the back door,” he added.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant also made the same remarks.“We are not against reservation for women, but we have reservations about the delimitation bill. There are concerns about how such exercises are conducted,” he said.DMK MP TR Baalu ​​said, “Yesterday, our leader MK Stalin burned the draft bill at a public meeting in Salem, which shows that we must oppose it.”The total number of members of the ruling NDA in the Lok Sabha is 292, while the main opposition party has 233 members. The passage of a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote in the House of Representatives.Amit Shah strikes backMeanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah hit back at the opposition, saying the census process has begun and will include a caste census. He also rejected requests for reservations based on religion, calling them unconstitutional.“I would like to inform the nation that the census process has begun. The government has decided to conduct a caste census. Our constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion. Any reservation for Muslims on the basis of religion is unconstitutional,” Shah said.“Both the laws are necessary to bring the Women Reservation Bill to its logical conclusion, which is why these two laws have been brought together. The opposition is opposing these bills because they have decided to oppose everything in the session,” he added.Bharatiya Janata Party MP Giriraj Singh expressed confidence that the early implementation of the amendments to the Women’s Reservation Act will receive widespread support in the Parliament.“I have every confidence that when they come to the House, they will be sensitized to women. Women have been waiting for years and now their patience is running out. This bill will be passed en masse,” Singh told reporters inside the Capitol.The motion states that the House “suspends the application of the proviso to Rule 66 of the Rules of Proceedings and Conduct of Business of the Lok Sabha as it applies to the consideration and passing of motions for the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, as these bills are dependent on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026”.The government has been seeking support from the opposition to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill amendment for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls based on the 2011 census.