In letter to PM, Kharge criticises Centre for 'hurrying' implementation of Women Reservation Act
In a letter to PM Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said an all-party meeting should be held over delimitation, which he said has been linked to the amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Centre's decision to convey Parliament's special sitting and said that the government is trying to hurry the implementation of women's reservation law for "political mileage" in the ongoing assembly elections in four states and a union territory (UT).
In his letter to the prime minister, Kharge also called for an all-party meeting over delimitation, which he said has been linked to the amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023. He further stated that the Parliament's special sitting was called without taking the opposition into 'confidence'.
"As you are aware, the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was passed by Parliament unanimously in September 2023. At that time, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, I had demanded that this important law should become effective immediately," he said.
Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, said the Centre wants the opposition's cooperation without revealing details regarding the delimitation. Without details of the delimitation and other aspects, the senior Congress leader said it would be "impossible to have any useful discussion on this historic law".
"You mention in your letter that your government has engaged in dialogue with political parties regarding this. However, I am pained to point out that this goes against the truth since all the Opposition parties have been urging the government to call an all-party meeting after the current round of elections is over on April 29th, 2026 to discuss the Constitution amendments being contemplated," he said.
"I am also pained to write that the past record of the government in matters of public importance whether it is demonetisation, GST, census or even those pertaining to the federal structure like implementing Finance Commission recommendations and tax devolutions, does not inspire any confidence," he added.
It is important to hear all parties in a democracy, the Congress chief pointed out in his letter, highlighting that the constitutional amendments being planned will affect both the Centre and the states.
"If the special sitting is meant to 'strengthen our democracy' and 'moving forward together, taking everyone along' as you write in the letter, then I would suggest that the government convene an all-party meeting any time after April 29th to discuss the delimitation issue which is being linked to the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023," he said.
Kharge's letter comes days ahead of the three-day sitting of Parliament, during which the government is set to bring bills to implement the Women's Reservation Act before the 2029 parliamentary polls and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, with 273 reserved for women. The Congress has accused that the Modi government of playing politics in the name of women's reservation law due to the assembly polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
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