‘Kiren Rijiju may call Opposition ‘mahila virodhi’, but not me. He conceded,’ says Shashi Tharoor

A political exchange following the contentious Women’s Reservation Bill debate found its way onto social media on Saturday, after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor posted about a conversation in Parliament involving Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju over the government calling the Opposition anti-women. During the exchange, Tharoor said the Minister “conceded” that the label of being “mahila virodhi” could not be applied to him personally.

The episode, shared by Tharoor online, stemmed from a post-adjournment interaction among Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha, where discussion took place over the ruling party’s repeated charge of anti-women Opposition. Tharoor added that Rijiju had explained the reasoning behind the term used against the Opposition, but fellow MPs pushed back on its blanket application.

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Reiterating his position on women’s representation, Tharoor said women are “the better half of the species” and deserve stronger representation across Parliament and public institutions. At the same time, he cautioned against linking women’s reservation with delimitation, warning that such a connection could complicate a reform meant to enhance representation.

A little post-adjournment gathering of Opposition MPs in the LokSabha with our charming Parliamentary Affairs Minister. When @KirenRijiju explained why he & his party were calling the Opposition “mahila virodhi”, it was pointed out to him that no one could ever call me… pic.twitter.com/9iyeJgqvF5

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 18, 2026

Earlier in the day, Tharoor accused the government of deliberately linking women’s reservation with the issue of delimitation. He said the Opposition supports 33% reservation for women and is willing to back its immediate implementation, but opposed its “strategic linkage” with a more complex constitutional process.

#WATCH | On the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, “… Women’s reservation we should have passed, but delimitation we should not have passed. The government purposely linked them all together, which was very… pic.twitter.com/yeHUOaoH06

— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2026

According to him, delimitation requires wider consultation with states and political parties and cannot be rushed, especially given its long-term implications after the next census and the setting up of a future delimitation commission.

Tharoor reiterated that women’s reservation should be passed independently in the current parliamentary session, while delimitation should be taken up separately after detailed deliberation. He said both issues deserve serious attention and should not be used for short-term political positioning.