'Women’s reservation bill already passed': Congress accuses Centre of 'hissa chori' using delimitation

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Centre of trying to grab power through the delimitation bill, adding that the women's reservation bill had already been passed in 2023. He clarified that the Congress party "unequivocally" supported women's reservation. He called the BJP-led Centre's proposed move to increase Lok Sabha strength from 543 to 850 "hissa chori" from OBC, Dalit and Adivasi communities along with southern and other regions."Congress party unequivocally supports Women’s Reservation. Parliament unanimously passed the bill in 2023, it is already part of our Constitution. What the government is proposing now has nothing to do with women’s reservation. This amendment is an attempted power grab using delimitation and gerrymandering," he said. "We will not allow ‘Hissa Chori’ from OBC, Dalit and Adivasi communities by ignoring the caste census data. We will also not allow Southern, North Eastern, North Western and smaller states to be treated unfairly," he added.The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which ensures 33% reservation for women in legislatures, is currently tied to the delimitation exercise in the Lok Sabha. The government is reportedly looking to implement women’s reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections by amending the 2023 Act and introducing a constitutional amendment to decouple delimitation from the 2027 census.According to sources as reported by ANI, there is also a proposal to expand the size of the House to 850 seats, including 815 seats for states and 35 for Union Territories, compared to the current strength of 543 Lok Sabha seats.