Updated On: 08 Aug 2026
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju engaged in a sharp war of words on Saturday over the women’s reservation bill, with the Opposition questioning the Centre’s decision to link its implementation to the proposed delimitation exercise.
The exchange began after Rijiju shared a video of Rahul speaking about greater freedom of expression for women and urged the Congress leader to support the women’s reservation bill “unconditionally”.
“This seems to be a positive message from the Congress. There’s a visible change of heart in Rahul Gandhi about women,” Rijiju said, calling on the Congress to back the legislation.
Rahul responded within two hours, pointing out that the women’s reservation bill had already been passed in 2023 with the Congress’s support.
“The bill has already been passed unanimously, with the full support of the Congress,” Rahul said. He questioned why the legislation had not been implemented even after three years and why the government was now “unnecessarily” linking it to delimitation. He demanded that the 2023 law be implemented without conditions.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, passed by Parliament in 2023, provides for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Its implementation, however, was linked to a future census and subsequent delimitation exercise.
The Centre’s proposed legislation seeks to enable women’s reservation before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections by using the 2011 Census, but its linkage with delimitation has triggered strong Opposition resistance.
The proposed delimitation exercise is expected to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 seats, with 273 seats, or 33%, reserved for women. Opposition parties, particularly from southern states, have argued that population-based delimitation using the 2011 Census could favour northern states that recorded higher population growth.
Parliament has remained largely paralysed since the Monsoon Session began on July 20. Rijiju has held discussions with Rahul in an effort to secure Opposition support for the Constitution amendment bill linked to delimitation and women’s reservation, as the NDA lacks the two-thirds majority required to pass a constitutional amendment on its own.
On August 5, Rijiju held a nearly 50-minute meeting with Rahul to discuss the delimitation-linked Constitution Amendment Bill and the amended FCRA Bill. Sources said Rahul conveyed that linking women’s reservation to delimitation was unacceptable to the Opposition.
Rijiju is also learnt to have spoken to Rahul by phone on August 6. Rahul reportedly said the Congress would discuss the matter internally and with its INDIA bloc allies before communicating its position.
Meanwhile, Rahul has separately sought a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the July 20 police action against student protesters and demanded a discussion on the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case.
With limited time remaining in the Monsoon Session, the government faces the challenge of securing Opposition support for the proposed constitutional amendment, while the Congress and its allies continue to oppose linking women’s reservation with delimitation.
