New Delhi [India], July 19 : Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav on Sunday said that the party will staunchly oppose the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, using its "full strength" to block the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha.
Amid speculation around the government's attempt to bring back the Delimitation Bill to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, the Samajwadi Party leader asked why the ruling BJP wanted to change the existing setup.
After an all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Dharmendra Yadav told ANI, "Why do the people in the BJP lack faith in the democratic setup that has existed for 75 years? Why are they so desperate to introduce the Delimitation Bill? Samajwadi Party workers and Akhilesh Yadav have been staunchly opposed to this bill in the past and remain so today; we will use our full strength to block it. The Women's Reservation Bill has already been passed. The issue isn't really women's reservation; they simply want to use it to complicate the delimitation process."
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill proposes an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha up to 850 and the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures. The Bill was defeated after gaining 298 votes in April.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party leader also demanded "strictest possible action" into the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation embezzlement.
Yadav said, "The sentiments of all followers of Sanatan Dharma across the country and the world have been hurt. The strictest possible action must be taken against everyone involved and anyone linked to the matter."
The opposition parties are expected to raise the issue in the upcoming Parliament session.
Congress MP K Suresh said, "There are many issues. Ayodhya theft is one of the most important issues, and the NEET exam is also. Every issue is very important as far as people are concerned."
Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti claimed that the opposition leaders were not united on any issue.
Taking a swipe against the Opposition, Arun Bharti said, "The constant endeavour has been to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly. Opposition parties--who hold one stance outside the House and another inside need to reflect on this and answer to the public, as they too are elected representatives. They (the opposition) are not united on issues. They need to decide when they are united--and on which issues--and when they are not."
Earlier today, the Centre held an all-party meeting, a day ahead of the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, to seek cooperation from political parties for the smooth functioning of both Houses and to discuss the government's legislative agenda.
Opposition parties staged a symbolic walkout from the all-party meeting convened by the Centre, protesting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju's invitation to the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI) to participate in the meeting. They later returned to take part in the discussions after a few minutes.
The Lok Sabha Speaker has allowed separate seating for the 20 rebel TMC MPs who announced a merger with the NCPI.