Chandigarh, November 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress MP Manish Tewari on Saturday accused the Centre of seeking to link delimitation with the implementation of women’s reservation, asserting that the two issues should not be used to justify one another.
Responding to reports that the Union government is considering a special session of Parliament to advance constitutional amendments on the two subjects, Tewari said no such session had been officially convened so far.
“No session has been called yet. This is all very straightforward. You cannot do delimitation under the guise of women’s reservation,” he said.
The Congress leader pointed out that Parliament had already passed the Women’s Reservation Act and argued that the provision for one-third reservation could be implemented within the existing strength of the Lok Sabha.
“The Women’s Reservation Act was passed by Parliament three years ago. If you want to give reservation to women, you can reserve one-third of the 543 seats for women,” he said.
Tewari maintained that a similar arrangement could be introduced in state Legislative Assemblies without making delimitation a precondition.
“In Vidhan Sabhas, give one-third of the seats to women. What’s the problem? But in the name of women’s reservation, they want to bring in delimitation,” he said, adding that this was why the government could not introduce the proposal in the previous session.
Reports have suggested that the Centre is considering a special parliamentary session to secure the passage of constitutional amendments linked to delimitation and the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
Separately, Tewari weighed in on the political controversy surrounding Chhath Puja, describing it as a sacred festival and cautioning political parties against turning religious celebrations into political disputes.
“Chhath Puja is a very pure and sacred festival, and people celebrate it with great devotion. Religious festivals should not be politicised,” he said, urging people to observe such occasions with devotion, dedication and humility.
His comments come amid a row triggered by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who accused the BJP of using Chhath Puja to create social and cultural tensions in Mumbai.
Thackeray alleged that the BJP was attempting to deepen divisions between Marathi and North Indian communities ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. In a post on X, he also accused the party’s social media network of circulating videos of Chhath celebrations to portray them as cultural aggression.
The MNS chief additionally objected to Bhojpuri songs being played at some Mumbai railway stations, claiming that his party had intervened to stop the practice. He alleged that the controversy was part of a political strategy linked to the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls.
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