New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday initiated the debate from the Opposition’s side in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the women’s reservation and delimitation-related Bills, stating that while his party supports reservation for women, it strongly opposes linking the measure with delimitation.

Gogoi said the issue of women’s reservation had already been raised earlier by Home Minister Amit Shah in 2023 and questioned the government’s narrative around the current legislative push.

“So why did they try to create a framework suggesting that today is a day of joy, today is a day of celebration, and it’s happening for the first time — like it’s historic?” he asked.

Reiterating the Congress party’s position, he said, “Our party, the Congress Party, is in favour of women’s reservation. But please simplify women’s reservation so that as soon as the law is passed, it is implemented immediately, and it should apply to our current strength of 543 members in the Lok Sabha. Don’t link it with delimitation. We said this then, and we are saying it today as well.”

Referring to Amit Shah’s earlier remarks in the Lok Sabha during the 2023 debate on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, Gogoi pointed to what he described as a shift in the government’s stance.

“At that time, the Honourable Home Minister told us, ‘No, the Delimitation Commission will have to be formed.’ And I would like to bring one line from the Honourable Home Minister’s own speech into this discussion today. He himself said that as soon as the Lok Sabha elections are over — meaning 2024 — the census will happen immediately, delimitation will happen immediately, and women’s reservation will be implemented immediately,” Gogoi said.

Questioning the delay, he added, “What has gone wrong in these three years? What change has occurred in these three years that, after the Lok Sabha elections — it’s only been two years — and if you read the Statement of Objects and Reasons of this Bill, the government itself is saying that the next census and the next delimitation will take considerable time. It will take a lot of time, and there will be a significant delay.”

Gogoi argued that had the government accepted the Opposition’s position earlier, the reservation could already have been implemented.

“If you had listened to us in 2023, women’s reservation would have been implemented by 2024. And even today, we are saying: don’t link this women’s reservation with delimitation. Bring women’s reservation now; implement it on our current strength of 543, and we will fully support you. You want to bring it in 2029,” he said.

He further alleged that the timing of the Bills suggested reluctance on the part of the Centre to conduct a caste census.

“Today, you are saying women’s reservation must come before the caste census. You are bulldozing delimitation to bring about a 1/3rd reservation,” he said.

“The decision to take up caste census came after consistent pressure from us, led by Rahul Gandhi,” Gogoi added, criticising the government’s approach.

Raising questions over the proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats, he asked, “Where did the number ‘850’ to increase seats in Lok Sabha come from? Did it come from Nagpur? How can it come without a census or even a relevant parliamentary paper?”

–IANS

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