NEW DELHI: A sharp exchange took place in the Lok Sabha on Thursday over the Samajwadi Party’s demand to extend reservation for Muslim and OBC women under the women’s reservation framework, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah firmly rejecting the proposal as unconstitutional.
The confrontation began as Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav opposed the introduction of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and related legislation aimed at implementing 33 per cent reservation for women after delimitation.
“In the name of the Women's Bill, the government wants to do across India what it did in Kashmir and Assam through delimitation. The entire Opposition will oppose it. If there is no quota for OBC women, Muslim women, the Samajwadi Party will not support it. We want the Bill to be withdrawn,” he said.
Yadav argued that the draft laws were “destroying and dismantling” the Constitution and said linking delimitation with women’s quota violated its spirit.
During the debate, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav too questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party’s record on women’s representation and called for quotas for OBCs and Muslim women.
He also pushed for a caste census before implementing reservation.
“The NDA is in power in 21 states, but how many of them have women chief ministers?” he asked.
“Those who have not given space to women within their own organisation, how will they give them respect? How many women are there in the BJP’s parent organisation? The BJP is in power in 21 places, tell us how many of those states have women chief ministers. Delhi may have a woman chief minister, but she does not have full powers, she is only a ‘half’ chief minister.”
Responding to the demand for Muslim quota, Shah said: “The government has already taken the decision to conduct a caste census. They are saying that there is no caste column. Right now houses are being counted. Houses don’t have caste. If Samajwadi Party has its way, even houses will have caste.”
“When citizens will be counted, the caste column will be there. This is my ministry. I want to assure the House, the census will include caste.”
He categorically ruled out religion-based reservation and said: “This government will not give reservations to women on the basis of religion. It is against the Constitution, and the question of such reservation does not ever rise.”