Bengaluru: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the Congress will convene an “all-party meeting” on April 15 to deliberate on the implementation of the Women’s Reservation law, accusing the Centre of not being prepared to hold a comprehensive consultation with all stakeholders.
Addressing reporters here, he maintained that while the party fully supports the legislation, there is a need for wide discussions on its implementation, given its broader national implications.
“We have called an all-party meeting on the 15th. We will discuss it in the all-party meeting and decide our next step,” he said, reiterating, “We had tabled this proposal during our time; we are not against it.”
Earlier, Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concerns over the proposed special session of Parliament to deliberate on the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, raising questions about its timing and the lack of clarity on key issues such as delimitation.
The Congress leader expressed dissatisfaction over what he described as the government’s failure to consult opposition parties before convening the special sitting from April 16.
“This special sitting has been called without taking us into confidence, and your government is seeking our cooperation again without revealing any details of the delimitation to be undertaken,” Kharge said, adding that without clarity on such a critical aspect, “it would be impossible to have any meaningful discussion on this historic law.”
Responding to Kharge’s letter, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju called for urgent implementation of the women’s reservation law, cautioning against delays driven by the “politics of postponement.”
Rijiju, in a public post, said he had written to Kharge, urging support for timely action and placing “facts on record.” He stressed that dialogue across party lines has taken place; the time had come for decisive steps to ensure women receive their due political representation.
“For decades, women’s reservation remained a promise. This Government turned it into reality. Now, the necessary amendments linked to delimitation are crucial to ensure that our #NariShakti gets rightful representation before 2029, not pushed further into uncertainty.
“I have personally reached out, written, and engaged with leaders across parties. Dialogue has happened & it continues. But at some point, intent must translate into action. Delaying implementation in the name of process is nothing but delaying justice to millions of women.
“This is not about politics. This is about keeping our promise to the daughters of India. Let us rise above hesitation and move forward, together, for Nari Shakti,” he added.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam ties women’s reservation to the new census and delimitation. Due to census delays, the Centre plans to proceed with the 2011 census data for delimitation and implementation of one-third reservation for women legislators.
