Congress slams Centre over linking women’s quota with delimitation

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday reiterated that the Congress is not opposed to women’s reservation, and criticised the Modi government for linking it with delimitation, calling the move politically motivated.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said that the women’s reservation bill was already passed in the Lok Sabha in 2023, while it’s amendment had failed to materialise (on April 17) because it was tied to constituency delimitation. 

“If women’s reservation (amendment) had been introduced independently, it would have  passed in the Parliament,” he said, accusing the Centre of politicising the issue.

Echoing similar views, Home Minister G Parameshwara said that the Congress has consistently supported women’s reservation, recalling that the Manmohan Singh-led government had earlier introduced the bill. However, he objected to the manner in which the Modi-led BJP government linked it to a proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 through delimitation.

“Such a major reform should have been brought after wider consultations. The Opposition was not taken into confidence,” he said, adding that the bill might not have faced resistance had there been prior consensus-building.

Congress MLA Kona Reddy alleged that the BJP was aware it lacked the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment. “The bill was tabled for political reasons. The Centre should undertake delimitation scientifically instead of blaming the Congress of stalling women’s quota implementation,” he said.

He also criticised the government for not convening an all-party meeting despite demands from Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.