3 weeks ago
Rahul Gandhi, Rijiju spar over women's reservation and delimitation
In India, two big political groups started arguing on Saturday.
The groups are the Congress party and the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi from Congress said India cannot be a successful country if women are not allowed to express themselves.
Kiren Rijiju, a government minister, said this sounded like Mr. Gandhi had changed his mind and asked Congress to support a law for women.
That law, called the Women's Reservation Bill 2023, promises that one-third of government seats will be reserved for women.
Mr. Gandhi said the law was already passed with everyone's approval, so it should be put into action now, without any conditions.
Mr. Rijiju said the law can only begin after delimitation, which is how voting areas are redrawn after a census.
He also pointed out that the Congress government in Karnataka has no women ministers.
Congress leaders replied that a woman will be added to the cabinet and accused the minister of using the issue as a trick.
The leaders kept arguing on social media, including X and Instagram.
The Congress and BJP sparred on Saturday over the women's reservation quota and delimitation bills.
Responding to an Instagram 'Ask Me Anything,' Rahul Gandhi said no country can be successful if its women do not express themselves.
Kiren Rijiju called Gandhi's remarks a 'visible change of heart' and hoped Congress would support the Women's Reservation Bill unconditionally.
Gandhi countered that the bill was passed unanimously with Congress's full support, asking why it remains unimplemented after three years.
Rijiju said reservation takes effect only after delimitation tied to the census, and noted that Karnataka's Congress cabinet has no women ministers.
- Who
- Rahul Gandhi (Lok Sabha Opposition leader, Congress) and Kiren Rijiju (Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs), with D.K. Shivakumar and Pawan Khera also commenting.
- What
- A political dispute over implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill 2023 and whether it should be linked to delimitation and the census.
- Where
- India; the exchange took place on social media platforms X and Instagram, with reactions from Bengaluru and New Delhi.
- When
- On Saturday (specific date not stated in the articles).
- Why
- Gandhi wants the 2023 law implemented immediately without conditions, while Rijiju says reservation takes effect after delimitation and questions Congress's record on women's representation.
Congress
BJP
Implementation of the women's reservation law
Congress
Implement the Women's Reservation Bill 2023 immediately and without any conditions; introduce a bill to delink it from the census and delimitation rather than waiting until 2029.
BJP
Reservation can only come into effect after delimitation; the 131st amendment bill ties it to the previous census so implementation can be brought forward to the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
Congress's record on women's representation
Congress
The bill was passed unanimously with Congress's full support, and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said a woman will definitely be inducted into Karnataka's cabinet.
BJP
Gandhi's remarks mark a 'visible change of heart,' and the absence of any woman minister in Karnataka's cabinet raises serious questions over Congress's stand on the 33% quota.
Motive behind linking reservation to delimitation
Congress
Pawan Khera accused Rijiju of using women's reservation as a smokescreen to push through delimitation based on the 2011 Census for electoral gain.
BJP
Rijiju reaffirmed the Centre's explanation that reservation must follow delimitation as the constitutional route, with the 131st amendment bill ensuring earlier implementation.
Key facts
- Key figures
- Rahul Gandhi (Congress) and Kiren Rijiju (Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs)
- Legislation
- Women's Reservation Bill 2023 (33% reservation for women)
- Status of bill
- Passed unanimously; not yet implemented
- Time since passage
- Three years
- Core dispute
- Whether implementation should be linked to delimitation and the census
- Government position
- Reservation to take effect after delimitation; based on the ongoing census, not before the 2034 polls
- 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill
- Introduced in April to tie reservation to the previous census for implementation by the 2029 polls
- Karnataka cabinet
- No women ministers under Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar; Congress has 9 women among its 172 legislators
Quotes
Kiren Rijiju
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Minority Affairs Minister
“This seems to be a positive message from the Congress Party. There’s a visible change of heart in Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji about the Women. Now, I hope Congress Party will support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally.”
telegraphindia.com
“"Mr Rijiju, who would know better than you, as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, that the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 has already been passed unanimously, with the full support of the Congress."”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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