“BJP’s anti-women face exposed”, Congress slams Centre over Women’s Reservation Bill, delimitation move

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday intensified its attack on the Centre over the Women’s Reservation Bill and the proposed delimitation exercise, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being “anti-women” and acting without adequate consultation on key constitutional changes.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput criticised the government for delaying the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill, stating, “The Bharatiya Janata Party’s anti-women face has been exposed by the Congress party. When the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed unanimously in Parliament in 2023, the Congress had demanded that it be implemented in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections itself. Till now, so many elections have taken place; it would have been better if they had been implemented earlier. But the BJP’s face is anti-women—it was evident when they did not implement it earlier.”

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rakesh Sinha raised concerns over the Centre’s approach to delimitation, calling for wider consultation before introducing such a significant reform.

He said, “We believe that delimitation is a subject that requires extensive discussion. Without calling an all-party meeting and without consulting the people, the central government is going to table this delimitation bill on the floor of the Lok Sabha. It is obvious that this reflects arrogance; they should have discussed it. Simply raising the issue of women’s reservation and bringing delimitation is not appropriate without discussion.”

The remarks come amid the Centre’s push to introduce major constitutional changes during the upcoming Special Session of Parliament scheduled for April 16 and 17.

The Union Government has proposed a significant overhaul through The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha. The Bill also proposes amendments to Article 82 of the Constitution, which governs the readjustment of parliamentary constituencies after each Census.

The move is linked to the broader plan to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, a provision originally passed under the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, but yet to be implemented due to delays in census and delimitation processes.

The issue has already triggered political reactions across parties. With multiple parties raising concerns over timing, implementation and representation, the proposed reforms are set to spark intense debate in Parliament.

IANS