Why Opposition may not back women’s quota changes: Delimitation, caste census concerns

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched the three-day special sitting of Parliament on amendments to Women’s Reservation Act as “one of most significant decisions of 21st century”, there were indications from the INDIA bloc parties that the three Bills would be opposed in both the Houses and that the reason will be delimitation being “pushed” under the guise of women’s reservation – and that too without the conduct of the national census. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has made her displeasure clear over the “hurried” manner in which the government is pushing the Bills without sharing any draft with the Opposition. Echoing her objections, Telangana Chief Minister Revant Reddy on Monday accused the government of using women’s reservation as a “red herring” to push population-based delimitation in the Lok Sabha. He proposed an alternative model where 136 seats would be assigned on GSDP-basis and the rest on pro rata basis. While there was no clear communication from senior leaders of the Opposition parties on the women’s reservation amendment Bill, several INDIA bloc leaders said the Congress will perhaps take the lead on this issue and take everyone into confidence. All eyes are on the meeting called by the Congress on April 15, a day ahead of the special session, where Opposition party presidents and top leaders will discuss the floor strategy for the proposed Bills. The members of INDIA bloc parties are still awaiting instructions from their respective high commands on what they would do when the Bills are introduced in Parliament, said sources. Some MPs speculated that the way things are moving, it seems the Opposition will not support the Bill citing reasons like sub-categorisation within women’s quota, delimitation without a census, and the caste census being kept on the backburner by the Modi government. During a series of meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah last month, the Opposition parties had flagged that delimitation would likely be “misused by the BJP government to suit their agenda”. Some leaders are learnt to have told Shah that the way the SIR exercise was being carried out, their apprehensions regarding the delimitation proposal were “legitimate”. A senior Congress MP told The Indian Express that the tone of Sonia Gandhi’s article in a national daily on Monday gives the indication that the party will not back the Bills. “That is what my reading is. Rest depends on the party high command and the decision taken at the meeting on April 15,” said the MP. “I feel the Congress will take the difficult decision to not back the legislation keeping in mind several points – issue of southern states, Parliament probably becoming a rubber stamp with more than 800 members, and this being done by the government with Bengal elections in mind,” said the MP. Another Congress MP said the party would also raise the issue of the caste census — an issue that resonated with the masses as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi raised it in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections — being ignored by the government under the guise of the women’s reservation legislation. Congress leader Manish Tewari raised concerns over the government not sending copies of the Bills to MPs for perusal. “On such a seminal Bill, propriety demands that amendments be circulated in advance to allow members to apply themselves to the contents of the proposed amendments. But that hasn’t been done,” Tewari told The Indian Express. A Rajya Sabha member of the Samajwadi Party said the party will decide on the Bills after the meeting of INDIA bloc top leaders on April 15. “Things will become clearer after the meeting on April 15. Also, why have we not been provided with a copy of the legislation,” said the Rajya Sabha member. SP MP Iqra Choudhary told The Indian Express on Monday that her party’s main demand is sub-categorisation – that OBC women get quota within the reservation being granted under the new legislation. “When our party raised this issue with the government, we were told that they are two different issues. But, if you are linking delimitation and women’s reservation, why can’t OBC reservation be implemented at the same time. What is the rush to pass this legislation when elections are on in two states. The government had passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023 when all parties were on board. Just 30 months later, you are being forced to amend that Bill because you didn’t deliberate on it and passed it in haste. The same is happening again,” said Choudhary. “Doing the delimitation without a census makes no sense and everyone knows that the southern states will get the short end of the stick and these politically charged issues need discussion which the government is not willing to do,” she said. Sources in the Trinamool Congress said the party’s decision was to let the Congress take everyone into confidence and lead the Opposition on the issue. TMC Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose said the Mamata Banerjee-led party doesn’t need reservation to grant women their due. “We already give more than 33% tickets and seats to women in all elections – state and parliamentary,” said Ghose. The DMK, the largest party in the Opposition ranks from south India, said while a three-line whip was issued to the party’s Lok Sabha members, no decision was taken yet on what the strategy will be after the April 15 meeting. “We wouldn’t mind taking on the government and not supporting the legislation because our state stands to lose so much and there will be far-reaching implications of the Bill on Tamil Nadu. This is not a women’s reservation Bill, but a delimitation bill and we are ready to oppose it,” said a DMK MP. The fear among parties of the south is that some of the northern states are very populous and a proportionate increase in the number of seats will be more favourable for north India as 120 seats of UP and Bihar will rise to 180. The NDA parties, meanwhile, seem to be on board. JDU national spokesperson Sanjay Kumar told The Indian Express, “The women’s reservation Bill finding its moment in Parliament is no coincidence — it is the culmination of a long political vision. It was Nitish Kumar-ji who first walked the talk by ensuring 50% reservation for women in local self-government in Bihar, making our state a national model for grassroots women’s empowerment.” “We in JDU are doubly proud that this historic legislation is being debated and passed at a moment when Nitish Kumar-ji takes his oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha — a fitting tribute to a statesman who has spent his life building ladders for women to rise.” TDP spokesperson Pattabhi Ram Kommareddy said, “We support women’s reservation as it is for women’s empowerment. The TDP government of N T Rama Rao had in the 1980s given women share in property.” “Earlier the government was thinking of delimitation based on census figures but now they have changed that. Proportionate increase means that all states will gain seats,” he said LJP (RV) president Chirag Paswan could not be reached on phone, but sources in the party said they are on board so far as women’s quota is concerned. The BJP seems serious about the matter, and has issued a three-line whip to all ministers and MPs in the party to stay in Parliament all three days, with no leave being permitted, the sources said. The constitutional amendment Bill will require a special majority of two-thirds MPs present in Parliament and voting, which should not be less than half the total strength of the House, for it to be carried. With the opposition not enthusiastic as of now, the BJP will have to play all its cards well to have the Bill cleared. Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusin... Read More Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He ... Read More