New Delhi [India], April 21 : Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday accused the Centre of deliberately delaying the implementation of women's reservation by linking it to the contentious delimitation exercise, despite repeated demands made by Congress leaders Rahul and Sonia Gandhi.
In a post on X, Ramesh cited past correspondence by senior Congress leaders to underline the party's consistent demand for immediate implementation of the quota. "@RahulGandhi, as Congress President, had written to the Prime Minister on July 16, 2018 demanding the immediate implementation of women's reservation. Eight years later, the Prime Minister--keen to delay the implementation of reservations by linking it to delimitation--is still to act on this demand," he said.
https://x.com/jairam_ramesh/status/2046457659247997244
Referring to earlier efforts, Ramesh added, "In 2017, Mrs Sonia Gandhi had also written to PM Narendra Modi on the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in her capacity as the then Congress President. The Congress Party's stance has been unflinching and unchanged. It is the Modi Government that slept on this demand and has then tried to delay it by linking it to delimitation."
https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/2046463943498248487
The remarks come days after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in Parliament, receiving 298 votes in favour and 230 against. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed that the Bill did not pass, following which the government decided not to proceed with the linked Delimitation Bill and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill.
The proposed legislation aimed to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats, with 33 per cent reservation for women, while also linking implementation to a future delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday defended the proposed delimitation exercise, asserting that it is "inevitable" and will not cause injustice to any state, while hitting out at the Congress and DMK for opposing it.
Addressing a press conference here on the last day of election campaigning, Naidu questioned claims by Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin that the opposition had "defeated" the delimitation-linked proposal.
"Rahul Gandhi and MK Stalin are saying that they defeated the Delimitation Bill. Congress and DMK need to tell what kind of victory this is. They have betrayed the women," Naidu said.