Rahul Gandhi, Rijiju spar on X over women’s reservation law

The Story in Brief

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju clashed on social media over the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill. Gandhi accused the government of delaying the 2023 law and of unnecessarily linking it to delimitation. He demanded that the Act be implemented immediately and without conditions. Rijiju countered with six points, explaining that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, as passed, ties the reservation to a fresh delimitation exercise based on census figures after 2026. He argued that early delimitation is needed for the quota to take effect by the 2029 elections.

The exchange began after Rijiju shared a video of Gandhi speaking about women's participation and called it a 'positive message'. Rijiju hoped the Congress would support the Bill unconditionally. Gandhi replied that the party had already backed it unanimously. The government's Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to enable the process, was defeated in Lok Sabha. The opposition wants the women's quota delinked from delimitation and demands a simultaneous increase in total Lok Sabha seats. The 2023 law, passed with cross-party support, awaits implementation pending these procedural steps.