New Delhi [India], August 16 : Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the BJP-led government has "received a setback" in its efforts to push the delimitation bill linked to women's reservation and that it "failed to achieve the two-thirds majority" in Parliament it was seeking.
Jairam Ramesh told ANI that the opposition parties have been asking the government to implement one-third reservation for women within the existing strength of Lok Sabha.
"Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, NCP, and DMK--all came together. Although there has been some distance in our relationship with DMK, they were also with us. In floor management, DMK also did not support the government along with the other opposition parties. Look at the resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly," Jairam Ramesh told ANI.
He accused the government of "narrative management".
"They said delimitation should not happen, the Lok Sabha should remain at the existing 543 seats with no change in the states' representation, and one-third women's reservation should be implemented. This is also the Congress Party's demand. The government has received a setback, but they are now engaged in news and narrative management, trying to blame the opposition. That is not the truth. The truth is that their strategy has failed. They failed to achieve the two-thirds majority they were seeking. They received a setback on April 17 when it could not be passed."
Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for early implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, Jairam Ramesh said there is a need to understand the chronology and the Congress wants its immediate implementation in the existing Lok Sabha seats.
"In 1993, the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Bills were passed, providing one-third reservation for women in panchayats, zilla parishads, block panchayats and municipalities. The then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, was instrumental in bringing this provision into the Constitution. In September 2023, the new Parliament building was inaugurated, and the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was passed unanimously. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji said the law should be implemented immediately and one-third reservation should be given to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies," he said.
"In the 543-member Lok Sabha, one-third means 182 seats for women. We repeatedly asked when this would be implemented, but there was silence from the Prime Minister and Home Minister. Suddenly, at 11 pm on 16 April 2026, while the delimitation issue was being discussed, the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was notified. What is the intention and objective? Even today, our demand is that one-third reservation for women should be implemented in the existing 543-member Lok Sabha. If any amendments are needed, make them, but implement it immediately," he added.
The Congress leader accused the government of constantly trying to link women's reservation with delimitation.
"That is why they did not get the two-thirds majority required for the Constitutional Amendment, and now they are somehow trying to find that two-thirds majority. But they are not going to get it. Our demand is shared by the Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, NCP, DMK, and TVK, among others. All these parties are demanding that the one-third women's reservation provided under the Act be implemented in the existing 543-member Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister repeatedly gives lectures from the Red Fort, but there is no meaning to them if his intentions are not clear... Kharge ji has written to the Prime Minister four times and asked for an all-party meeting. Hold discussions because delimitation can have long-term consequences for the federal structure," he said. The monsoon session of Parliament ended on August 13.