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New Delhi: The Congress and BJP sparred on Saturday, August 8, over the women’s quota and delimitation bills after Rahul Gandhi said that no country can be successful if its women do not express themselves, prompting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to call it a “visible change of heart” and express the hope that the opposition party will support the proposed legislation.

Responding to Rijiju’s comments on X, Gandhi hit back, saying, “Mr Rijiju, who would know better than you, as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, that the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 has already been passed unanimously, with the full support of the Congress.”

“The question is why it has still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation?” Gandhi asked in a post on X.

“Implement the 2023 law. Without any conditions,” he added.

Rijiju hits back

Responding to Gandhi’s retort, Rijju said the Congress leader knows “very well” that the reservation of seats for women in the House of the People and Legislative Assembly of the State is provided in the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023.

He said that Gandhi also knows that it shall come into effect after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken based on the census figures published after the year 2023, which means the census figures published after the year 2026.

“The exercise for publishing the census figures after the year 2026 is currently underway. However, this may take substantial time due to the caste-based census to be finally published. In view of this, it may result in considerable delay in the implementation of women’s reservation, at least not before the 2034 General Elections,” the senior BJP leader said.

Therefore, to implement the women’s reservation at the next general elections in 2029, the delimitation exercise needs to be undertaken at the earliest, based on the latest available Census figures, as published, he added.

Rijiju said the implementation methodology has been proposed under the Delimitation Bill 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha along with the amendments to the Constitution.

However, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was introduced for this purpose, has been defeated, the minister said.

“Also, a reminder to Rahul Gandhi again: There’s no woman in Karnataka DK Shivakumar’s Cabinet! This raises serious questions over Congress’s stand on the 33% women’s quota,” Rijiju said in another post on X.

‘Congress piloted the bill,’ says DK Shivakumar

Reacting to the criticism, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar said, “We are the ones who piloted (the women’s reservation bill); we are the ones who passed (the bill).”

“The Congress party believes in it (giving priority to women). You know how many seats we gave (to women) in Parliament; I think you remember. So, in Karnataka, definitely we are sorting out that issue. Rijiju may not worry about the Congress Party,” the Chief Minister said.

On Friday, Gandhi said no country can be successful and will remain stunted if its women do not express themselves.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said it is important to bring women back into the conversation and allow them to do what they want to do.

His remarks in an Instagram post came as an addition to his reply made during his Thursday’s “Ask Me Anything” session.

Rijiju on Thursday had a telephonic conversation with Gandhi to seek support for the passage of the women’s reservation and delimitation bills, but the leader of opposition insisted on convening an all-party meeting on the proposed legislation, sources aware of the matter had said.

This was the second time in a couple of days that the parliamentary affairs minister spoke with Gandhi on the phone. The minister also met him twice in 10 days for smooth functioning of the House.