The Congress has criticized the Centre for planning a three-day special Parliament session from April 16 to 18. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the government of having questionable and politically motivated intentions behind amending the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam bill. He highlighted correspondence between Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to support his claims of unilateral government action.
Ramesh pointed out that Rijiju had initially sought discussions with the Congress on amendments to the Women’s Reservation law. Despite Kharge’s request for an all-party meeting, the government proceeded to announce the special session. The Congress leader raised concerns over the delay in implementing the law, emphasizing the need for wider consultation on proposed amendments to the Women’s Reservation Act and delimitation issues.
The Women’s Reservation law, passed in September 2023, mandates 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies. Ramesh criticized the government for not taking concrete steps to enforce this provision even after 30 months. He expressed worries about the government’s plan to introduce amendments to the Women’s Reservation Act and address delimitation during the upcoming session without adequate consultation with opposition parties.
