Parliament proceedings on Thursday witnessed a sharp political exchange between the government and the opposition as bills related to delimitation and women’s quota were introduced in the Lok Sabha. Union Home Minister Amit Shah responded to the objections raised by opposition members, reiterating the government’s position.
Amit Shah clarified that it was “unconstitutional” to have reservation on the basis of religion after Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav reportedly sought women from backward castes in the Parliament quota. According to news agency PTI, Yadav also claimed that delimitation has been separated from population census.
In response to the objections raised by the Samajwadi Party MP, Amit Shah said: “Our constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion. I want to say that any reservation for Muslims on the basis of religion is unconstitutional.”
Dharmendra Yadav opposed the three bills introduced by the government in Lok Sabha, while asserting that his party is a strong supporter of women’s rights. “We oppose the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026… No other party is more supportive of women’s reservation.”
Addressing the Lok Sabha, Akhilesh Yadav questioned the Centre’s urgency in pushing the Women’s Reservation Bill and called for the population census to be completed before proceeding with the proposals regarding delimitation.
“Why are you in a hurry. Why is the Center rushing to reserve women? Start with the census first. The Samajwadi Party is in favor of reservation for women, but is against the approach by demarcation. Once the census is done, we will ask to conduct the caste census, and then the reservation issue will come. And then, you want to do dokha with us (deceive us),” Yadav said. Get live updates here
The opposition raises concerns
Congress member KC Venugopal also objected to bringing the proposed legislation, questioning its intentions and implications.
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Addressing the House, he said: “I object to the bill introduced by Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Amit Shah. This bill is a fundamental attack on India’s federal structure. What exactly is the aim of this bill? Parliament has passed the bill in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women.”
In his quick response, Shah stressed that such objections were premature at the application stage. He stressed that members cannot discuss the content of the draft laws at this stage and are limited to technical objections.
He also noted that the government would fully address the opposition’s concerns during the discussion phase, saying a “strong response” would be given in due course.
Major bills are on the table
The government has prepared three major pieces of legislation to be introduced: the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, both of which are scheduled to be moved by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, along with the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which will be introduced by Shah.
Read also | Lok Sabha Speaker jibes as Rahul Gandhi raises doubts over Venugopal’s microphone
These proposals form part of a broader legislative push linked to electoral reforms and the implementation of reservation for women.
To facilitate the passage of these measures, the government held a special session of Parliament from April 16 to 18. The focus is on pushing the amendments related to the Nari Shakti Vandhan Adhiniyam Act.
Additionally, the Law Minister is expected to move a proposal to suspend the provisions of Article 66 in the Lok Sabha. The move aims to enable simultaneous consideration and passage of the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill and the Boundary Demarcation Bill.
The motion states that this House “suspends the proviso to Rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha in its application to motions to consider and pass the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 insofar as they depend on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026.”
Push for 2029 implementation
The government is seeking opposition support to ensure reservation for women is implemented from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, based on the 2011 census.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called for consensus and urged political parties to support the amendment.
“This is the desire of every sister and daughter in this country, and we must fulfill it unanimously,” he said at an event in Dehradun earlier this week.
