New Delhi, March 25 – The Congress on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "U-turn Ustad" tactics, claiming that he now intends to implement the women's reservation law without completing the delimitation and census exercises by holding a "special two-day session" of Parliament in the next fortnight.
The opposition party alleges that this is a "ploy to divert attention" from the government's "failures in foreign policy and the LPG and energy crisis," as well as from the government's handling of these issues.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the Modi government is also planning to increase the size of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas by 50%, which also requires careful consideration.
In September 2023, the new Parliament House was inaugurated with the passage of the women's reservation bill – the "Nari Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023" – which amended the Constitution to provide for one-third reservation of women in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas, and also for one-third reservation for women in seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, as pointed out by Ramesh.
Both reservations were to come into effect after the delimitation and census exercises were completed.
When the "Nari Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023" was being debated, the Indian National Congress had demanded its immediate implementation from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as highlighted by Ramesh.
However, the Modi government had stated that this was not possible since both delimitation and the census had to be completed first.
"Now, the 'U-turn Ustad' has, after 30 months, suddenly changed his mind and wants to implement the reservations WITHOUT completing the delimitation and census operations," the Congress leader said.
"The PM is unmatched in unleashing 'weapons of mass diversion'. He has done so many times before, and he is doing it again. Desperate to change the narrative from his foreign policy failures and setbacks, and from the LPG and energy crisis facing the country, he has come up with this new initiative," he said.
The prime minister has indicated that a special two-day session will be convened in the next fortnight to pass the amendments necessary for the "Nari Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023," Ramesh said.
He said the Opposition parties have written to the government requesting that an all-party meeting be convened after the current round of assembly elections is completed on April 29, so that the proposed amendments can be discussed.
"The Modi government is also planning to increase the size of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas by 50 per cent. This also needs careful deliberation," Ramesh said.
He alleges that the Election Commission's Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has been reduced to being the "Modi Code of Campaigning".
"Calling a special two-day session any day in April would violate one MCC, but it would be in keeping with the other," he said.
This also raises serious questions about the Modi government's real commitment to actually conduct a caste census that it had announced in April 2025, after accusing the Congress leaders of suffering from an urban naxal mindset for raising this demand during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, Ramesh said.
Sources say the government is unlikely to immediately bring a bill to increase Lok Sabha seats to 816 so that 273 of them could be reserved for women during the ongoing Parliament session, which may be adjourned early but will not be prorogued, to keep open the option of reconvening after the upcoming assembly elections.
Sources indicate that there is very little chance that the government would table the constitution amendment bill that will tweak Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament in the next few days.
It is learnt that there was no proposal till Tuesday evening to bring the draft bill before the Union Cabinet, which is scheduled to meet on Wednesday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on Monday discussed the matter with some NDA constituents and some non-Congress opposition floor leaders. But consultations with the principal opposition party, Congress, and another major party, TMC, were yet to take place.
As there have been talks of curtailment of the ongoing Budget session, sources indicated that there is a possibility of adjournment of the Parliament before the April 2 schedule, but it will not be prorogued so that the same session can be reconvened.
The provision to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was brought by amending the Constitution in 2023, but it will come into effect after the completion of the delimitation exercise.
According to the broad contours available, the number of Lok Sabha seats would be increased from the present 543 to 816, with 273 seats reserved for women. The reservation will also be done on a "vertical basis" with seats allocated for SCs and STs.
The redrawing of the constituencies will be done on the basis of the 2011 census rather than the proposed 2027 census.
A similar exercise will be carried out for state assemblies, where seats will be reserved on a pro rata basis.
While a Constitution amendment bill will tweak the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, another ordinary bill will amend the Delimitation Act.
Once approved by Parliament, the proposed laws will come into force on March 31, 2029, and will help reserve seats in the next Lok Sabha elections and assembly elections in Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh.
Sources also said the government's plan to implement the women's reservation law by increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 from the present 543 may require carving out new constituencies from the present seats.
In September 2023, President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill.
The law is officially known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act.
Several opposition parties on Tuesday wrote to the government, asking for an all-party meeting to be convened to discuss the modalities of the implementation of the women's quota law.
In a letter to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, the opposition leaders said the meeting should be held after the current round of assembly elections is completed in April.
