Parliament special session LIVE: PM Modi speaks on women reservation bill in Lok Sabha

PArliament special session unrecorded: u.s. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi questioned Centre's intention of increasing the women's reserve in Lok Sabha by linking it with delimitation. He also took a dig up at BJP, asking how did they add up up with a number 850 as they intend to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats, asking if it came from Nagpur.BJP's MP from Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya, meanwhile, said that the women's reservation is close to being cleared only because of the BJP and the Narendra Modi government.Three key bills - The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, The Delimitation Bill, 2026, The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 - were introduced in the special session of Parliament. The decision on the same will be taken on April 17 at 4 pm IST.Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal proposed the introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, and also moved the Delimitation Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju defended the timing of the introduction of the proposals.He said that the some or the other election happens round the year in the country and the argument from the oppoisition that it is being done to influence the upcoming polls is invalid. He also said that proportional representation of all states will remain the same even after the government’s bills expanding the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin burnt a copy of the Delimitation bill to stage protest against the proposals. "Today, I have reignited that fire by burning the copy of this black law and hoisting the black flag against this black law that seeks to turn Tamils into refugees in our own land. This fire will now spread across the Dravidian land. It will rise, it will rage, and it will bring the BJP's arrogance to its knees," Stalin said in a statement.The special sitting of Parliament’s Budget Session will begin on Thursday, during which three key and widely discussed bills are set to be introduced. The session will run from April 16 to 18.The government has been seeking opposition support to pass the amendment bill, which aims to implement women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha from the 2029 general elections, based on the 2011 Census.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged opposition parties to back the amendment, emphasising the need for consensus. “This is the wish of every sister and daughter of this country, and we must fulfil it with unanimity,” he said at an event in Dehradun on Tuesday.Opposition parties, while expressing support for the early implementation of women’s reservation, have voiced strong objections to the Delimitation Bill. They have questioned the basis for redrawing constituencies and the proposal to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from the current 543 to as many as 850.PM Modi urges consensus on women’s reservationPrime Minister Narendra Modi has urged opposition parties to support the constitutional amendment to ensure that women’s reservation comes into effect from the 2029 general elections.Also Read: 'As a self-respecting Tamil...': Stalin announces black flags protest against delimitation, chairs emergency meet“This is the wish of every sister and daughter of this country, and we must fulfil it with unanimity,” he said at an event in Dehradun on Tuesday.Opposition backs quota, opposes delimitationOpposition parties on Wednesday said they fully support the early implementation of women’s reservation but voiced strong opposition to the Delimitation Bill. Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge chaired a meeting of opposition parties to discuss their position.“We are all in favour of the Women’s Reservation Bill, but the way in which they (the government) have brought it, we have reservations,” Kharge said.Kharge added that opposition parties have consistently supported women’s reservation. “We have decided to continue supporting women’s reservation, as we did in 2010 and 2023, when we unanimously backed the constitutional amendment,” he said.