Haveri (Karnataka), Apr 19 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the Congress supports women’s reservation but opposes linking it with delimitation, alleging that such a move would lead to injustice for certain states.
Speaking to reporters, he maintained that the party has consistently backed reservations for women and accused the BJP of “politicising the issue” ahead of elections in other states.
“The Women’s Reservation Bill was already passed in 2023 by both Houses—the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Now they have brought it along with delimitation. They have linked delimitation to it. We have never opposed women’s reservation. I am making it very, very clear: we are not opposed to women’s reservation,” he said.
Siddaramaiah questioned the BJP’s track record on women’s representation in local bodies, crediting former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for introducing constitutional amendments that ensured reservation at the grassroots level.
“Who brought women’s reservation in local bodies? Who introduced the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments? It was done when Rajiv Gandhi was the PM. Did the BJP do it? Or did they even demand it?” he asked.
The CM argued that delimitation could disproportionately benefit northern states in terms of parliamentary seats, citing Uttar Pradesh as an example, and said Karnataka’s representation would not increase at the same rate.
“Delimitation will cause injustice to some states. That is why we oppose it, but we do not oppose women’s reservation. We support women’s reservation,” he said.
He added that any constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament and approval from at least half of the states, reiterating that the Congress party’s objection is limited to delimitation.
Responding to a question on remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Siddaramaiah alleged that the issue was being politicised ahead of elections.
“They have started doing politics now. There are elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, so they are doing politics for that,” he said.
In a major setback to the BJP-led Central government, a Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures from 2029, along with increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, was defeated on Friday. However, the ruling dispensation asserted that the struggle to secure women’s rights would continue.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes to secure the two-thirds majority needed for passage.
According to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to “operationalise” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise.
Seats in state and union territory assemblies were also to be increased to accommodate a 33 per cent reservation for women. PTI GMS SSK
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