‘Political tool’ to redraw India’s electoral map, Opposition will defeat it, says Rahul

In a sharp speech laced with anecdotal experiences and satirical remarks, linking them all to the Narendra Modi government’s pitch for the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and allied legislations, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that the Women’s Reservation Bill was being used to “reshape the electoral map of India” and had little to do with women’s empowerment, and that the Opposition will defeat it.

The manner in which the government is implementing a quota for women was a “panic reaction” so that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi can show he is pro-women,” Gandhi said, stating that “clearly, trying to pass this bill (constitutional amendment) was a mistake which everybody knew.”

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The leader of the Opposition said the answer to that “riddle” was in the date the special session was called — April 16. Gandhi said when PM Modi was speaking in the Lok Sabha on his government’s plan to this effect, “I was sitting here and watching. He had low energy. He was not able to engage… I saw on my phone the date, the 16th of April, and I was like… My God, how crazy! That’s the number — 16. The answer to the riddle is in the number 16. Now, if anybody understands what I am saying, please send me a message.’”

Accusing the government of running a “politically motivated” agenda, Gandhi said, “you are telling southern, northeastern and smaller states that for the BJP to remain in power, their representation will be reduced. This is nothing short of an anti-national act, and we will not allow it.” “Bring back the 2023 women’s bill and we will help you pass it immediately,” he said, addressing the special session of Parliament.

Describing the attempt to alter the country’s political landscape as a “shameful act,” he alleged that the government is “hiding behind India’s women” to push a broader electoral strategy. “The first truth is that this is not a women’s bill. This has nothing to do with the empowerment of women. This is an attempt to change the electoral map of India. Actually, it is a shameful act,” Gandhi said during the special session of Parliament on the women’s reservation bill and delimitation.

The BJP is attempting to “rejig the Indian political map” out of fear of losing political ground, he said, adding, “you did it in Assam and Jammu & Kashmir, and now you think you can do it across India. You need a constitutional amendment to do that.” He also accused the government of undermining representation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Dalits. “This is a bypass of the caste census. They are trying to avoid giving power and representation to OBCs and are instead taking it away from them,” he said, calling it an attempt to disconnect the caste census from political representation for the next 15 years.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam provides for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.