New Delhi, March 24 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that the government's Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, is a "brazen attack" on the constitutional rights and identity of transgender people, and asserted that his party strongly opposes the proposed legislation.
The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha termed the bill "regressive" and alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre is violating the Constitution and destroying India's rich history of honoring transgender communities in pursuit of its narrow ideas.
"The BJP government's Transgender Persons Amendment Bill is a brazen attack on the constitutional rights and identity of transgender people. This regressive bill strips transgender people of their ability to self-identify, violating a Supreme Court judgment; wipes out the diverse cultural identities of communities across India, forces trans people to undergo dehumanizing examinations by a medical board, and introduces criminal penalties and surveillance without safeguards," he said.
The BJP government has not consulted the trans community and has brought a bill which stigmatizes rather than protects them, he claimed.
"The Constitution protects every Indian's right to life, liberty, identity, and dignity. This BJP government is violating our Constitution and destroying India's rich history of honoring transgender communities in pursuit of its narrow ideas. The Congress party unequivocally opposes this bill," Gandhi said.
The bill, which seeks to provide a precise definition of the term "transgender" and provide graded punishments that reflect the gravity of the harm inflicted upon such persons, was introduced in the Lok Sabha earlier this month.
The bill states that a "transgender person" shall not include, nor shall ever have been so included, persons with different sexual orientations and self-perceived sexual identities.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill notes that it is imperative to give a precise definition for proper and definitive identification and protection of transgender persons, to whom the benefits of the present law must reach.
The protection and benefits that are provided under the present 2019 law are vast in nature and, therefore, care has to be taken that "such identification cannot be extended based on any acquirable characteristics or personal choice or claimed self-perceived identity of an individual".
The bill also contains provisions for "designation of an authority" which will have the option to seek "expert advice" if required.
A new clause defines "authority" as a medical board headed by a chief medical officer or a deputy chief medical officer appointed by the central government, state government or a Union territory administration.