New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 15 (PTI) Opposition MPs from Kerala on Thursday said they would not oppose the women’s reservation amendment Bill if it is introduced in Parliament without any conditions such as delimitation.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Congress leader K C Venugopal termed the Centre’s move as a “deceptive trap”.
According to him, Bills brought by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government often “carry hidden agendas”.
“However, this Bill is vicious as it will put democracy in crisis. You can understand it by looking into its provisions.” Venugopal said the Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed unanimously in 2023.
“Under the cover of that Bill, without doing anything in the last three years, a major delimitation of constituencies is now being proposed as per their convenience. It is an attempt to hijack democracy,” he said.
He added that states like Kerala, which have effectively implemented family planning measures, would suffer under such a proposal.
Citing the delimitation exercise in Assam as an example, he alleged that it was carried out to favour the BJP.
“There are multiple dangers behind the Bill. BJP, knowing that it may not win the 2029 elections, has come out with an easy method by undermining democracy,” he alleged.
Kerala Congress (M) chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani said there was no difference of opinion on women’s reservation.
“The intention behind the current amendment is to distort the electoral process. Our demand is that reservation should be implemented within the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats,” he said.
He claimed that increasing the number of seats could create disparities, with southern states likely to be affected.
“Apart from population control measures adopted by southern states, the current proposal could lead to disparities between urban and rural areas, affecting their development,” he said.
He said delimitation based purely on population would be unfair and that weightage should be given to states that have successfully implemented population control measures.
RSP leader N K Premachandran said all opposition parties had supported the 2023 women’s reservation Bill.
“The Bill has already been passed, ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies. We are not against women’s reservation. But under its cover, a delimitation proposal is being introduced to amend the Constitution and establish the supremacy of the central government,” he said.
CPI leader Annie Raja, who attended the opposition parties’ meeting chaired by Mallikarjun Kharge, said a decision had been taken to support the women’s reservation amendments Bill without conditions such as delimitation and census-linked provisions.
“If the Bill is presented without such conditions, INDIA alliance parties are ready to pass it. But we strongly oppose the delimitation proposal,” she said.
A special three-day sitting of Parliament will be held from April 16 to 18, during which amendments to the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, commonly known as the Women’s Reservation Act, mandating 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, will be brought for implementation in 2029.
The number of Lok Sabha seats will be increased to 850 from the current 543 to “operationalise” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise to be carried out based on the last published census. PTI TBA TBA ROH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.