The first day of the three-day special session of Parliament on Thursday witnessed intense exchanges and sharp political divisions as lawmakers took up crucial issues including delimitation, the long-pending census, and women’s reservation. The proceedings in the Lok Sabha quickly turned stormy, with the opposition strongly opposing the delimitation bill while reiterating support for the women’s quota.
Leading the charge, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav criticised the government for what he described as an “anti-constitutional” approach, particularly objecting to the proposal to delink delimitation from the census. Representing Azamgarh, Yadav argued that such a move undermines democratic principles and demanded that the women’s reservation framework must include representation for backward classes and Muslims.
Backing his party colleague, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed support for women’s reservation in legislatures but questioned the government’s delay in conducting the national census. He emphasized that accurate population data is essential for fair representation and policymaking.
Responding to the opposition’s concerns, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured the House that preparations for Census 2027 are already underway and confirmed that the government will conduct a caste-based enumeration as part of the exercise. He sought to counter the opposition’s narrative by stating that the process had already begun.
However, Shah firmly rejected the demand for religion-based reservations, asserting that such provisions are unconstitutional. “Our Constitution will never allow reservation based on religion,” he said, adding that political parties are free to distribute tickets as they choose but cannot seek constitutional backing for religion-based quotas.
This triggered a sharp rebuttal from Akhilesh Yadav, who described the Home Minister’s remarks as “undemocratic” and questioned whether Muslim women were being excluded from considerations under the broader framework of representation.
The heated exchange between the two leaders continued until Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla intervened, urging both sides to maintain order and assuring them that adequate time would be allotted for presenting their arguments.
The session also saw the introduction of three key bills by Amit Shah and Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. These include amendments related to women’s reservation and the establishment of a delimitation commission. While the opposition has maintained that it supports the idea of reserving seats for women, it remains strongly opposed to the delimitation provisions included in the proposed constitutional amendments.
As the debate unfolds over the next two days, the issues of representation, constitutional validity, and electoral fairness are expected to dominate proceedings, setting the stage for a politically charged session with far-reaching implications.
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