New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that there is near-unanimous support for the Women’s Reservation Bill, barring Opposition parties in the INDIA bloc, which he accused of putting roadblocks in its passage by raising objections to its “method” of implementation.
“Each and every lawmaker extended support to the women’s reservation Bill. But INDIA bloc parties opposed the Bill by raising doubts and apprehensions, and by questioning it with ‘ifs and buts’,” HM Shah said.
He said the Opposition’s disagreement over the Bill may ostensibly relate to the modalities of implementation, but asserted that, in reality, they are opposed to women’s reservation itself.
Setting out a roadmap for implementation, the Home Minister said that “one nation, one vote” is a key principle of democracy, and that the government intends to implement the women’s reservation framework by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Slamming the Opposition, he said, “Those opposing the expansion of constituencies under delimitation are depriving backward classes and Dalits of greater representation.”
Explaining the rationale behind the proposed increase in the number of constituencies under the delimitation exercise, Home Minister Shah said that several Lok Sabha constituencies have become too large for Members of Parliament to manage effectively.
He pointed out that in some constituencies, the number of voters has risen to up to 40 lakh, making it difficult for MPs to address local issues adequately.
“There are more than 120 seats where the electorate exceeds 20 lakh,” he added, highlighting the challenges arising from population growth.
He also criticised previous Congress governments for freezing the delimitation exercise for political reasons.
“In 1971, the then Congress government increased the number of seats from 525 to 543, and in 1976, the then Prime Minister imposed a freeze on delimitation fearing loss of power,” he said, rejecting Opposition allegations that the current delimitation exercise is aimed at benefiting the BJP, particularly in the Hindi heartland.
Explaining the timing of the women’s reservation Bill, the Home Minister said that the Census is expected to be completed by 2027, delimitation cannot be completed before 2029, and therefore this is the appropriate time for its implementation.
(IANS)
