A fierce political clash unfolded in the Lok Sabha on Thursday as Opposition parties contested the introduction of three Bills on women’s reservation and delimitation, with a call for quotas for Muslim and OBC women igniting heated exchanges.
The uproar began when SP MP Dharmendra Yadav insisted on including Muslim and OBC women in the reservation framework. “Till OBC and Muslim women are not added to it, the SP will oppose it,” he declared, also criticising the delinking of delimitation from the Census as unconstitutional.
Treasury Benches reacted sharply, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rejecting reservations on religious grounds as unconstitutional. Rijiju emphasised quotas for “women of the whole country” rather than religion-based claims.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav hit back, questioning if Muslim women were excluded from the “aadhi aabadi” (half the population) and accusing the government of dodging a caste census.
The Bills, tabled by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, drew broader Opposition fire. Congress leader K. C. Venugopal demanded their withdrawal, alleging a bid to “hijack” constitutional safeguards via delimitation and citing past freezes in 1976 and 2001.
TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar opposed the measures, while RSP’s N. K. Premachandran challenged linking delimitation to women’s reservation, noting the 2023 law already covers it. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi accused the government of delaying implementation: “If you had listened to us in 2023, women's reservation would have been implemented in 2024.” He urged decoupling the issues to secure support.
DMK’s T. R. Baalu dismissed the Bills as unnecessary “sandwich” legislation, reaffirming backing for the existing framework. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi decried violations of federalism and constitutional basics, flagging procedural lapses like inadequate notice and risks to states with controlled population growth.
This episode signals a pivot for the SP, which backed the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam sans OBC quotas despite earlier demands since 1996. It marks the party’s first public push for a distinct Muslim women’s quota.
Historically, social justice outfits resisted women’s reservation, fearing it favoured upper-caste women. In 1996, under H. D. Deve Gowda, leaders like Sharad Yadav derided it as aiding “parkati mahila” (urban elite women). Evolving dynamics, including women voters’ clout and caste fragmentation, prompted SP and RJD to relent in 2023.