Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: A heated debate took place between home minister Amit Shah and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday as a special Parliament session was held to discuss Constitution Bill, Union Territories Laws and the Delimitation Bill.Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Yadav slammed the Centre over ‘urgency’ to introduce the Women’s Reservation Bill in the absence of an updated Census, accusing the government of avoiding a caste-based enumeration. “Why is the Centre rushing for women’s reservation? “We are in favour but why do you not want a Census to be done?Start with the Census first,” said Yadav, insisting that SP supports women’s reservation in principle but opposes its implementation through delimitation.“They are delaying the census because when it happens, we will ask for the caste-based census, and they don’t want it,” he added.Responding to this, Shah said that the process of Census has already begun and the government has also planned to include a caste-based enumeration under it.“The Census process has already started across the country, and after that, we will also conduct a caste-based census. Currently, the House Listing is under way; homes don’t belong to a certain caste. If SP has its way, it will designate a caste to homes also. I want to assure the House that the Census is going to happen with the caste census as well,” Shah said, taking a swipe at the opposition.Calling reservation based on religion unconstitution, Shah said, “Based on religion, reservation of any kind for Muslims is unconstitutional. To this, Yadav questioned whether Muslim women falls outside reservation cap of 50%. “Will Muslim women, who make up half the population, also get separate reservations?” asked Yadav.“We are not stopping the Samajwadi Party from giving all their tickets to Muslim women,” reacted Shah. The discussion grew increasingly tense as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged members to maintain decorum during the proceedings.
Why is opposition protesting Women Reservation Bill? Answer is in Delimitation Bill
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, the strength of the Lok Sabha is proposed to be increased from 543 to a maximum of 850 seats to operationalise the women’s reservation law ahead of the 2029 general elections. The expansion would follow a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.The proposed legislation seeks to readjust the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha and in state and Union Territory legislative assemblies, while redrawing territorial constituencies across the country. The exercise is based on a population-linked revision using data from the 2011 Census.The Bill positions delimitation as a broader political overhaul, potentially altering the size and composition of both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, including a proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850.However, the proposal has drawn opposition, with several parties raising concerns over its impact on representation and the implications of relying on the 2011 Census for such a significant restructuring.
