Rijiju, Rahul Gandhi spar over Women’s Reservation Bill timeline

Rijiju vs Gandhi on Women’s Quota Timeline

Their back-and-forth was triggered after a Rahul Gandhi video that had nothing to do with delimitation on its face. In it, he argued that India’s politics should be built around bringing women’s voices to the forefront. He said, “The energy of India’s women is trapped. It is not allowed to express itself. It is not allowed to imagine. For me, no country can be successful if its women are not expressing themselves. And I think a lot of my politics, and a lot of what politics should be in this country, is about making people understand that our country is stunted and incomplete without the expression of women.” He explained that this meant more than professional success, but “being able to express in their houses, walk the streets comfortably, them putting a point of view that many don’t agree with, questioning their parents, husbands, brothers.” He said that a certain amount of freedom is required from patriarchy and the “rigid control” men put on women if India wants to develop. “It has been assaulted and put in the back seat, and we have to bring back women into conversation and allow them to express,” he said.

Rijiju’s Challenge and Rahul’s Rebuttal

Rijiju seized on the video, turning praise into a challenge, saying that he hoped Congress would unconditionally support the women’s quota bill now. “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 the Congress Party will support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally,” he posted on X Gandhi hit back that the Congress has already supported the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023, questioning why it should be linked to delimitation now. “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,” he wrote, before turning the question back on the Rijiju, “why has it still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation?”

Minister Explains Delimitation Hurdle

Rijiju responded with a numbered breakdown of the reasons behind delimitation being linked to women’s quota. He pointed out that the reservation, enacted via the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, only takes effect once a delimitation exercise is completed using census figures published after 2026 and that the caste-based census now underway could push that timeline out well past the next election. “Rahul Ji, you know it very well that: 1. The reservation of seats for women in the House of the People and Legislative Assembly of the State is provided in the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam). 2. It shall come into effect:– After an exercise of delimitation is undertaken. Based on the census figures published after the year 2023, which means the census figures published after the year 2026. 3. The exercise for publishing the census figures after the year 2026 is currently underway; however, this may take substantial time (due to caste based census) to be finally published. In view of this, it may result in considerable delay in the implementation of women reservation, at least not before 2034 General Elections,” he said.Explaining further, he said, “Therefore, to implement the women reservation at the next general elections in 2029, the delimitation exercise needs to be undertaken at the earliest, based on the latest available Census figures, as published. 5. The implementation methodology has been proposed under the Delimitation Bill 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha along with the amendments to the Constitution. 6. However, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 which was introduced for this purpose, has been defeated.” He also attacked the Congress for inducting no women in the Karnataka cabinet, stating, “Also, a reminder to Rahul Gandhi Ji, there’s no woman in Karnataka DK Shivakumar’s Cabinet! This raises serious questions over Congress’s stand on 33% Women quota.”The Women’s Reservation Bill, or the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, reserves 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies but is constitutionally tied to a delimitation exercise based on post-2026 census figures before it can take effect. In April, the Centre faced a setback after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, moved in the Lok Sabha to increase the strength of the lower house to 850 seats was defeated.

Congress Leaders Blame Centre for Delay

The Congress and other opposition parties have backed the women’s reservation law in principle while continuing to resist the government’s proposed delimitation exercise. As the exchange spread beyond the two leaders, several Congress figures weighed in with their own criticism of Rijiju’s stance. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate accused the Centre of manufacturing the very delay Rijiju was citing. “I would like to remind Kiren Rijiju that the timeline he mentioned in his post, stating that women’s reservation would only be possible by 2034, is a situation of your own making. You were the one who attached conditions to women’s reservation, insisting on a census first, followed by delimitation. Why did you impose these conditions? You could have simply granted reservations to women with honest intent… Why didn’t you make that happen? Because you do not consider women to be equal stakeholders… Because they are inspired by the RSS… can an institution where women are barred from entry truly speak up for women’s rights?” she said.Congress MP Pawan Khera questioned the government’s commitment to the legislation altogether, pointing to its origins under the previous UPA government. “Who brought the Women’s Reservation Bill? Who introduced it? Sonia ji introduced it in 2012. Their intentions are flawed. First, let Parliament function, then we can discuss the rest. Everyone knows who is sabotaging the Women’s Reservation Bill,” Khera said.Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also responded to Rijiju, asserting his party’s ownership of the legislation. “We are the ones who piloted the women’s reservation bill… we will give more strength to women… Kiren Rijiju need not worry about the Congress party.” Shivakumar said.This exchange amid the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament underscored the deadlock among several opposition parties and the Centre on the proposed delimitation exercise. (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)