Following a meeting of its working committee on Friday, the Congress party reaffirmed its support for the women’s reservation legislation while expressing opposition to any delimitation process that does not follow a new census. The party announced plans to convene a gathering of key leaders from all INDIA bloc parties on April 15 to strategize on the Opposition’s approach regarding this matter.
Additionally, Congress urged the government to organize an all-party meeting after April 29, once the elections for the West Bengal Assembly have concluded.
During a press briefing at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Jairam Ramesh, the party’s general secretary for communications, emphasized that the core issue is not the reservation for women but rather the delimitation process, which currently lacks clear details.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to summon a meeting of the Opposition leaders on April 15, just ahead of the parliamentary sessions commencing on April 16, to outline a united path forward, as stated by Ramesh.
Ramesh also suggested that the central government’s initiative to organize a special session appears to be aimed at swaying the electoral outcomes in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
“The world won’t end if the all-party meeting takes place after April 29. These discussions have significant long-term implications concerning delimitation,” Ramesh remarked.
He criticized the special session as a tactic to distract from pressing issues, such as the government’s shortcomings in foreign policy.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, led by Kharge, was attended by prominent figures including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Ramesh, Sachin Pilot, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Earlier in the week, the Union Cabinet approved constitutional amendments related to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and a Delimitation Bill aimed at expediting 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, based on the 2011 Census.
In his initial remarks at the CWC gathering, Kharge warned that the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise linked to the women’s reservation law could have serious repercussions.
Kharge asserted that his party will collaborate with other Opposition factions to develop a cohesive strategy moving forward on this critical issue.
He accused the Narendra Modi administration of convening Parliament from April 16 solely for political gain, which he described as a breach of the Model Code of Conduct, and expressed concerns about the rush to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
Kharge noted the government’s sudden activity regarding women’s reservation after a lengthy period of inaction. “There is a parliamentary session scheduled from April 16 to 18 to discuss the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. To this point, we have not received any formal proposals from the government. We have learned about some aspects only through an article written by the Prime Minister,” Kharge stated. “The Modi government is calling this parliamentary meeting with the intent of securing political advantage and aims to expedite the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill,” he concluded.
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