New Delhi, August 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit back at Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju over his remarks on the Women’s Reservation Bill, asserting that the legislation was unanimously passed in 2023 with Congress’ full support and should be implemented without linking it to delimitation.
Responding to Rijiju on X, Gandhi said the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 had already received unanimous parliamentary approval.
“Mr Rijiju, who would know better than you, as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs — that the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 has already been passed unanimously, with the full support of the Congress,” Gandhi said.
He questioned why the legislation had not been implemented three years after its passage and objected to linking its implementation with delimitation.
“The question is, why has it still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation? Implement the 2023 law. Without any conditions,” he said.
Gandhi’s remarks came after Rijiju responded to his comments on women’s empowerment and political participation, saying the Congress should now support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally.
Gandhi, in an Instagram post on Friday, had said that India could not realise its full potential unless women were able to express themselves freely. He argued that women’s empowerment should extend beyond business and politics to their homes, families and public spaces.
Rijiju described Gandhi’s remarks as a possible indication of a change in the Congress’ approach towards women’s political representation.
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies and the Delhi Assembly, subject to the constitutional implementation process.
A separate Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced in April, sought to accelerate implementation of the reservation by using the 2011 Census for early delimitation. The Bill, however, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.
FOLLOW NOW
