"Panic Reaction": Rahul Gandhi On Centre Linking Delimitation, Women's Bill

The manner in which the government is implementing a quota for women - 33 per cent reservation in parliament and state assemblies - is really a bid to change India's electoral map, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi warned parliament Friday afternoon.

It is a "panic reaction", he also declared, "so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi can show he is pro-women", particularly before voting for Bengal and Tamil Nadu Assembly elections next week, in which women voters will likely play a key role.

Speaking on Day 2 of a special session to pass bills on delimitation and to increase Lok Sabha seats, he said the government had linked these to the Women's Reservation Bill to try and disadvantage states that have better controlled population growth.

The government, however, has said delimitation and expansion of the Lok Sabha are needed to operationalise the women's quota before the 2029 Lok Sabha election, and called any party trying to block its move 'against women's empowerment'.

"But this is not a 'women's bill'… it has nothing to do with women's empowerment," Gandhi countered, "Women's Reservation Bill was passed in 2023 with everyone's support. What is happening now is an attempt to change India's electoral map."

"Bring back the old bill and we will support it…" Gandhi said snapping back at accusations by the Bharatiya Janata Party, members of which have accused the opposition of politicising the issue of women's empowerment.

He also said the government is against sharing power with marginalised groups, specifically OBCs. "They are scared of erosion of their strength," he said, referring to a vote bank of so-called upper classes, "... trying to rejig Indian political map."

"What the government is doing is nothing short of anti-national... the government is telling southern, northeastern, and smaller states 'for us to remain in power, we are going to take away representation from you'. But we won't allow you to do it."

The opposition has been vocal about 'links' between the women's reservation bill and those proposing delimitation.

READ | "Delimitation Disguised As Women's Quota"? Why Opposition Is Up In Arms

The delimitation process - i..e., the redrawing of parliamentary and assembly constituencies - will use demographic data from the 2011 census and the opposition has argued this disadvantages southern states that have controlled population growth.

Assigning seats on this score will give northern, Hindi-speaking states - which have not been as effective and a majority of which are BJP strongholds, such as Uttar Pradesh, which sends the most MPs to the Lok Sabha - more seats.

Political leaders from southern states, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, have spoken out against this.

They have also argued the exercise makes it less important for the BJP - ahead of the 2029 election, in which it will seek an unprecedented fourth straight term - to focus on southern states for that win.

The BJP has, historically, struggled for traction in the southern states.

The government, however, has insisted no state will be disadvantaged due to delimitation. The PM offered a "guarantee" in parliament yesterday. "I give my guarantee... no injustice will be done to any state, from east to west, north to south," he said.

READ | PM Modi's "No Discrimination Guarantee" To South States On Delimitation

The stand-off was perhaps best explained Thursday by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

"The government has a plan to re-delimit constituencies and increase seats in areas where the ruling party is strong. And they are using women's reservation as an excuse to bring about that change... by trying to amend constitutional amendments they already brought in 2023."

The opposition has also criticised the move to expand the Lok Sabha to a staggering 850 seats, 15 of which will be allotted to union territories and the rest to states. Apart from concerns a majority of these will be assigned to Hindi-speaking states, the opposition has questioned the need to expand the House to reserve seats for women, rather than simply reserving them now.