Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav has said that his party will oppose the delimitation bill in the Lok Sabha with full force. He accused the BJP of distrust in the democratic structure that has been in place for 75 years and demanded an investigation into embezzlement in Ayodhya Ram temple donations.
SP will strongly oppose the delimitation bill
Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav on Sunday said the party will strongly oppose the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and will use its “full force” to stop the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha.
Amid speculation that the government will bring back the delimitation bill to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, the Samajwadi Party leader questioned why the ruling BJP wants to change the existing system. After an all-party meeting ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, Dharmendra Yadav told ANI, “Why don’t people of BJP have faith in the democratic structure that has been in place for 75 years? Why are they so desperate to bring the delimitation bill? Samajwadi Party workers and Akhilesh Yadav have been strongly opposing this bill in the past and are doing so today too; we will use all our strength to stop it. The women’s reservation bill has already been passed. The real issue There is no women’s reservation; they just want to use it to complicate the delimitation process.”
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill proposes to enact the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023 to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 850 and provide 33 percent reservation for women in the legislature. The bill was defeated in April after receiving 298 votes.
Questions raised on Ayodhya donation embezzlement
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party leader also demanded “strongest action” in the Ayodhya Ram temple fund embezzlement case. Yadav said, “The sentiments of all the followers of Sanatan Dharma in the country and across the world have been hurt. Strictest action should be taken against all those involved in this matter and anyone associated with it.”
Opposition parties are expected to raise the issue in the upcoming Parliament session. Congress MP K Suresh said, “There are many issues. Ayodhya theft is one of the most important issues, and also the NEET exam. As far as people are concerned, every issue is very important.”
LJP’s taunt on opposition unity
Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti claimed that the opposition leaders are not united on any issue. Taking a dig at the opposition, Arun Bharti said, “The constant effort has been to ensure that Parliament runs smoothly. The opposition parties—who take one stand outside the House and another inside—should consider this and answer to the public, because they are also elected representatives. They (the opposition) are not united on issues. They need to decide when they are united—and on which issues—and when not.”
all-party meeting before the session
Earlier today, the Center held an all-party meeting, a day before the start of the monsoon session of Parliament, to seek cooperation from political parties for the smooth functioning of both Houses and to discuss the government’s legislative agenda.
Opposition parties staged a symbolic walkout from the all-party meeting called by the Centre, protesting against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju inviting the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI) to attend the meeting. He returned after a few minutes to participate in the discussion. The Lok Sabha Speaker has granted separate sitting permission to 20 rebel TMC MPs who had announced their merger with the NCPI. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)