Politics / Union Home Minister Amit Shah Slams INDIA Bloc Over Women’s Reservation Roadblocks
·8 hours ago·2 min read
Key Points
Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused INDIA bloc allies of creating hurdles in the Women’s Reservation Bill, asserting that objections over its implementation are attempts to block women’s representation.
New Delhi, Apr 17: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday accused Opposition parties in the INDIA bloc of obstructing the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill by raising unnecessary doubts and objections.
Speaking in Parliament, Shah said there was near-unanimous support for the Bill across party lines, but INDIA bloc allies attempted to derail it by questioning its “method” of implementation. “Each and every lawmaker extended support to the women’s reservation Bill. But INDIA bloc parties opposed the Bill by raising doubts and apprehensions, and by questioning it with ‘ifs and buts’,” he remarked.
The Home Minister asserted that the Opposition’s disagreement was not about modalities but about the principle of women’s reservation itself. He laid out the government’s roadmap, stating that the framework would be implemented by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Shah also defended the proposed delimitation exercise, explaining that several constituencies had grown too large for Members of Parliament to manage effectively. “There are more than 120 seats where the electorate exceeds 20 lakh, and in some constituencies, the number of voters has risen to 40 lakh,” he said, adding that expansion was necessary to ensure adequate representation for backward classes and Dalits.
He criticised previous Congress Governments for freezing delimitation for political reasons. “In 1971, the then Congress Government increased the number of seats from 525 to 543, and in 1976, the then Prime Minister imposed a freeze on delimitation fearing loss of power,” Shah said, rejecting allegations that the current exercise was designed to benefit the BJP in the Hindi heartland.
Explaining the timing of the Bill, Shah noted that the Census is expected to be completed by 2027, and delimitation cannot be finalised before 2029. He argued that this makes the present moment the most appropriate time to move forward with women’s reservation.
The debate over the Bill continues in Parliament, with the government pushing for its passage as a landmark step toward enhancing women’s participation in politics, while the Opposition remains sceptical of its implementation framework.
Speaking in Parliament, Shah said there was near-unanimous support for the Bill across party lines, but INDIA bloc allies attempted to derail it by questioning its “method” of implementation. “Each and every lawmaker extended support to the women’s reservation Bill. But INDIA bloc parties opposed the Bill by raising doubts and apprehensions, and by questioning it with ‘ifs and buts’,” he remarked.
The Home Minister asserted that the Opposition’s disagreement was not about modalities but about the principle of women’s reservation itself. He laid out the government’s roadmap, stating that the framework would be implemented by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Shah also defended the proposed delimitation exercise, explaining that several constituencies had grown too large for Members of Parliament to manage effectively. “There are more than 120 seats where the electorate exceeds 20 lakh, and in some constituencies, the number of voters has risen to 40 lakh,” he said, adding that expansion was necessary to ensure adequate representation for backward classes and Dalits.
He criticised previous Congress Governments for freezing delimitation for political reasons. “In 1971, the then Congress Government increased the number of seats from 525 to 543, and in 1976, the then Prime Minister imposed a freeze on delimitation fearing loss of power,” Shah said, rejecting allegations that the current exercise was designed to benefit the BJP in the Hindi heartland.
Explaining the timing of the Bill, Shah noted that the Census is expected to be completed by 2027, and delimitation cannot be finalised before 2029. He argued that this makes the present moment the most appropriate time to move forward with women’s reservation.
The debate over the Bill continues in Parliament, with the government pushing for its passage as a landmark step toward enhancing women’s participation in politics, while the Opposition remains sceptical of its implementation framework.
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