New Delhi, April 17
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday mounted a fierce attack on the Modi government in the Lok Sabha, accusing it of using women’s reservation as a façade to push delimitation and redraw India’s political map at the expense of marginalised communities. He alleged that the exercise was not about gender empowerment but about restructuring representation, contending, “This is not a women’s bill; this is an attempt to change the electoral map.”
Gandhi charged the government with systematically denying Dalits and OBCs political power while invoking their identity. “You call OBCs, Dalits Hindus but do not give them power. You call them Hindus but do not give them any place in this country,” he declared, describing the move as “brutal, cruel… unforgiving” and a “shameful act” that hides behind women to achieve deeper political objectives.
Gandhi pressed the government on the caste census, alleging a deliberate bypass. “It is a historical fact how Indian society treated Dalits and OBCs and their women. What is being attempted here is to avoid giving power and representation to my OBC brothers and sisters,” he said. Targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gandhi accused him of being “clever” in claiming that houses don’t have caste, arguing that “Manuvad is being upheld over Samvidhaan.” He warned that the government’s stance effectively excludes caste census from shaping representation for the next 15 years.
Drawing parallels with past exercises in Assam and Jammu & Kashmir, Gandhi alleged that similar boundary “rejigging” was used to alter political outcomes and said the current proposal follows the same pattern. He branded the move “anti-national,” asserting, “You are telling Southern, North-Eastern and other states that for the BJP to remain in power, their participation will be taken away. The entire Opposition will defeat this.”
While reiterating his party’s support for women’s reservation, Gandhi distinguished between the 2023 law and the present proposals tied to delimitation. “This is not a women’s bill; that was passed in 2023. If the women’s bill is separated, we will pass it unanimously,” he said, underscoring that the Opposition backs gender justice but rejects its linkage with delimitation.
