AAP flags 'conspiracy' in seat hike plan, backs 33% reservation for women

New Delhi: AAP on Sunday made it clear that it will oppose the increase of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats on the basis of 2011 Census while pledging support for passing a Bill for early implementation of 33% women’s quota if it is rolled out for the existing 543 seats in Parliament’s Lower House.

The stand was made clear by AAP Rajya Sabha floor leader in a post on ‘X’ and in his interaction with media in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur, after receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s letter seeking his party’s support for the Bills in Parliament, which is reconvened on April 16.

Singh said on ‘X’, “we support the Women’s Reservation Bill. Of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, we give our full support to 33% reservation for women. However, a census is necessary to increase the number of seats. Increasing seats without a census is a conspiracy to reduce the number of women in the House. We will not allow any betrayal of women.”

In a video of his interaction with media in Sultanpur, which he posted on ‘X’, Singh said they will “expose” the government if it goes ahead with increasing the number of seats on the basis of Census 2011 and not the latest one for implementing the women’s quota.

“If you do it without the latest census and delimitation, we will show how you are betraying the women,” he said, accusing the ruling BJP of indulging in “drama” because of the Assembly election in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

He said nobody is against the women’s quota while recalling that AAP had in Parliament called for its immediate implementation when the Bill was passed in 2023 but the government was not ready to do it. “AAP’s stand remains the same. We will support the quota for 543 seats but without a new Census and delimitation, you cannot increase the seats,” he said.