Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha on April 17 for obstructing the rapid implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act.
Responding to the debate on three government bills aimed at expediting women’s reservation, Shah referenced historical actions from the Congress Party. He stated that in 1972, the then Prime Minister introduced a Delimitation Bill that increased seats from 525 to 545 but subsequently froze them. He added that during the Emergency in 1976, the 42nd Amendment halted delimitation to retain power.
“At that time too, the principal opposition party had deprived the people of the country of delimitation, and even today, it is the same party that is depriving the nation of it,” he said.
Shah explained the impact of delimitation on women’s reservation, saying that if reservation is applied on the basis of 543 seats, then 13 seats would be reserved for women, while 26 seats remain open in Tamil Nadu. He noted that applying reservation on the 2011 census would reduce parliamentary seats by six but emphasized that the government is instead increasing seats by 50 per cent in every state.
“The women of the country are watching who is creating a hurdle in their way,” he said, adding that he is willing to state in the bill a 50 per cent increase in the number of seats for states.
Addressing concerns about reservations for Muslim women, he stated, “Some members here have spread the misconception that reservation will also be given to Muslim women. I want to clarify that the Constitution does not allow reservations based on religion. If the reason to oppose this bill is that there should be 50% reservation, then halt the proceedings for an hour, and I will bring an official amendment to this bill, but first they (opposition) need to promise to pass the bill.”
Shah highlighted the allocation of parliamentary seats across five southern states—Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala—stating that these states currently hold 129 of 543 seats (23.76%). After a 50 per cent increase, their seats would rise to 195 out of 816 (23.87%), ensuring no loss for any state.
He criticized narratives that may divide the country on regional lines, saying, “To make sure that there is no confusion in the minds of 140 crore Indians, I want to make it clear that the Narendra Modi Cabinet had decided to hold caste census along with 2026 census. The country should not be divided by this ‘north-south’ ‘east-west’ narrative. We should rise above it. All states and UTs have equal rights in this parliament.”
Shah argued delimitation is essential to increase the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, describing opposition to it as being against their interests. “I assure them that if they support us for delimitation, then the value of each vote will have equal value across constituencies,” he said.
He noted that approximately 133 members participated in the bill debate, including 56 women, and observed that none objected to women’s reservation itself. However, he claimed, “all members of the INDIA alliance have opposed it by using ‘ifs and buts.’ “Those opposing delimitation are actually opposing an increase in SC/ST seats.”
The Constitution Amendment Bill was ultimately defeated in the Lok Sabha.
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