HYDERABAD: Bhongir Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday accused the BJP-led Union government of politicising women’s reservation and delimitation of constituencies for electoral gains.
Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on these issues, the Congress leader alleged that the Centre convened a special Parliament session from April 16 to 18 with an eye on upcoming elections in states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Asserting that the Congress and the INDIA bloc are not opposed to women’s reservation under any circumstances, he pointed out that the Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed in 2023, questioning why its implementation had been delayed beyond the 2024 elections.
The MP said that a majority of MPs supported the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the 543-member Lok Sabha and added that the opposition would have no objection even if the quota was implemented immediately.
He, however, alleged that the Centre had earlier stated that implementation would take place only after the 2027 Census and subsequent delimitation exercise.
Clarifying his party’s stand, Kiran Kumar said that the opposition was not against women’s reservation but opposed the manner in which delimitation was being pursued.
He stressed that any such exercise should be carried out only after consulting all political parties and ensuring a fair balance between northern and southern states.
He also urged the Centre to follow precedents set by past leaders such as Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in handling sensitive national issues like delimitation of segments.