Congress may back amendments to women’s reservation bill

NEw new delhi: The us congress indicated on fri that it power support amendments to the women’s reservation bill even as it said holding a sitting of Parliament before the end of the current assembly election cycle would clearly violate the model code of conduct.Asserting that the government’s push for a rushed delimitation exercise would have “dangerous consequences”, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said that the party did not want any disturbance in the present differential and relative strength in the Lok Sabha. Ramesh, the Congress’s chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, added that he came to know that the government will also bring a bill to set up a delimitation commission.The government has not announced which bill or bills it will introduce.“It was our demand to implement the women’s reservation bill from 2029 when the bill was passed in 2023…While the party welcomes the amendment, at the same time, heavens would not have fallen if the government had waited for 15 days more, consulted all opposition parties and convened the session afterwards,” he added.“There is no question of opposing it.”Also Read | Parliament to be adjourned, reconvened for ‘very important bill’ soon: RijijuWhen to expect the meet?The budget session was not prorogued or ended sine die. Both Houses will meet on April 16 likely for amendments to the women reservation bill. The government wants to delink the bill from the ongoing census and roll out the law from 2029 Lok Sabha polls.Tamil Nadu goes to the polls on April 23. West Bengal goes to the polls on April 23 and 29.“The purpose is to take advantage in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal elections,” Ramesh said, arguing that the session could have been called after the polling on April 29.Ramesh said that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will call a meeting next week of Congress lawmakers and Opposition leaders to chalk out a strategy.“We will take a common strategy. Remember, all Opposition parties are united on these issues. Trinamool Congress [which didn’t sign Kharge’s letter to parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju to call an all party meeting] may not be with us in letter but they are united in spirit,” said Ramesh.Also Read | Parliament budget session to get extension, Opposition wants it after assembly elections“It was our demand to implement the women reservation bill from 2029, when the bill was passed in 2023,” he added.Govt ‘to set up a delimitation commission’: CongressRamesh, the Congress’s chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, said that he came to know that the government will also bring a bill to set up a delimitation commission.Congress said that the proposed delimitation might be based on 50% proportionate increase in the number of seats in all states. This, according to Ramesh, was unacceptable as southern, eastern and north eastern states will be at a disadvantage.The government is working to introduce a bill delinking reservation of seats for women in legislatures from the ongoing census and to do the delimitation on the basis of the last census. The move could see the number of seats in the Lok Sabha increase to 816. Of this, 273 could be reserved for women, and the proportional representation of each state might remain the same.Several Opposition parties had suggested immediate implementation of the women’s reservation law at the time of its passing in 2023.“Kharge ji had back then demanded that it should be immediately implemented as you don’t need Census or delimitation but they said delimitation and census was necessary. They kept sleeping for 30 months,” Ramesh said.Derek O Brien, who is TMC’s Rajya Sabha floor leader, said: “We have a system in Trinamool. We have an all India Working Committee, headed by our Chairperson Mamata Banerjee. Systems are in place before policy decisions are made. Modi-Shah think Parliament is the Gujarat Gymkhana! Where is the draft of the proposed legislation ?”