Congress questions BJP delay on womens reservation

Lucknow: The Congress on Tuesday sharpened its attack on the BJP-led Centre over the implementation of the women’s reservation law. Party MP Praniti Shinde accused the govt of “delaying and diluting” a measure it claimed to support.

“The women’s reservation bill, passed by Parliament in 2023, should be implemented immediately across all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. The BJP govt must enforce the quota without further delay. The Congress fully supports it,” she told reporters.

Shinde alleged that the Centre had linked the rollout of the quota to delimitation and census exercises to “avoid implementation”.

While clarifying that the Congress is not opposed to delimitation, she argued that any such exercise should follow the completion of the ongoing census and adhere to constitutional norms.

She further accused the BJP of using women as a “political tool” for electoral gains. “If the govt was serious, the law would have been implemented by now instead of being made conditional,” she said, adding that the party has consistently backed women’s political empowerment.

Echoing her remarks, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra Mona questioned the BJP’s commitment to gender equality and asked whether the party would appoint a woman as its national president.

She also urged the Bharatiya Janata Party govt in Uttar Pradesh, led by Yogi Adityanath, to send a proposal to the Centre for implementing 33% reservation for women in the state assembly.

The Congress leaders reiterated that their party has historically supported women’s reservation, citing the 73rd Constitutional Amendment that enabled 33% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions.