New Delhi, April 17, 2026: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the House that the Opposition fully supports women's reservation in Parliament and state assemblies but strongly opposes the government's proposed legislation in its "current form."
Speaking during a heated debate on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, and related bills linking women's quota to a fresh delimitation exercise, Gandhi asserted that the current proposals have "nothing to do with the empowerment of women" and instead represent an attempt to redraw India's electoral map.
Gandhi urged the government to bring back the original Women's Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), which Parliament unanimously passed in 2023 and which is now part of the Constitution. He offered immediate Opposition support for its implementation without delay.
"Giving women reservation is easy to do, and every Opposition member will support it… bring that old bill back right now and we will help you pass it with immediate implementation. That is the women’s bill — this is something else. The truth needs to be told," Gandhi said.
He argued that the new bills, which tie the 33% women's quota to post-delimitation seat readjustments based on the upcoming census, are primarily aimed at altering representation across states — potentially disadvantaging southern, northeastern, and smaller states while affecting OBC and other backward class shares. Gandhi described the move as an "anti-national power grab" and "attempted gerrymandering" hidden behind the cause of women's empowerment.
The Lok Sabha reportedly rejected the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill amid strong Opposition resistance. Gandhi claimed the government was aware the legislation could not pass in its present shape and called it a "panic reaction." He also described Prime Minister Modi's previous day's speech as "low energy."
During his address, Gandhi made a light-hearted remark that drew laughter in the House: "Prime Minister and myself don't have wife issues," while emphasising that women remain a "central and driving force in our national imagination."
The government has positioned the amendments as necessary to operationalise the women's quota effectively alongside delimitation for fairer representation. Prime Minister Modi and BJP leaders have accused the Opposition of flip-flopping and playing politics with a long-pending reform that enjoys broad support in principle.
Congress and other Opposition parties, however, maintain that the 2023 Act should be implemented on the current strength of the Lok Sabha without linking it to delimitation or waiting for a new census. They have demanded a caste census to ensure adequate representation for OBC, SC, and ST women within the quota.
The debate reflects deep divisions over the timing, linkage with delimitation, and potential impact on federal balance and social justice in India's electoral system. Voting on the bills saw the government facing stiff resistance, with the House witnessing sharp exchanges.
The Women's Reservation Bill, when originally passed in 2023, was hailed as a historic step towards greater gender representation but has not yet been notified due to the pending delimitation process. The current controversy centres on how — and when — it should be rolled out.
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