New Delhi: Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury, on Wednesday, launched a sharp attack on the Union government in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, comparing it to a “Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on transgender persons” and describing it as an exercise in discrimination rather than protection.
The Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday by a voice vote amid an Opposition-led walkout, is now being taken up for consideration and passage in the Upper House of the Parliament.
Chowdhury began her intervention by posing a pointed question to fellow Rajya Sabha members.
She asked whether the self-identification of gender that all MPs undertake while filling official forms before entering the Parliament is valid or not.
“The Constitution is with the people who identify as transgenders today. The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) himself has called himself non-biological,” she said, triggering an uproar in the House.
She quickly clarified that her remark was not meant to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi but to appreciate his forward-thinking approach on the issue.
“Transgenders are in the Supreme Court, in the police and on the playing fields winning medals for the country. What is there to be ashamed about? Why are we forcing new laws on them?” the Congress Rajya Sabha MP asked.
Chowdhury said that the Amendment Bill undermines the hard-earned rights of the transgender community by moving away from self-identification towards greater bureaucratic and medical scrutiny.
She added that the legislation appears more focused on imposing control than on genuine welfare or inclusion.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, seeks to make changes to the 2019 Act, including alterations in the process of legal recognition of gender identity.
Critics, including several Opposition MPs, claim it dilutes the principle of self-perceived gender identity upheld by the Supreme Court in its landmark 2014 NALSA judgment.
As the debate continued, members from various opposition parties expressed concern that the Bill could roll back constitutional protections and add unnecessary hurdles for one of the most marginalised sections of society.
The Union government, however, said that the amendments aim to bring clarity and better implementation of welfare measures for transgender persons.
The discussion is expected to see more heated political exchanges as the House proceeds with clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill.
(IANS)
