Summary of this article
Priyanka says the bill’s defeat blocked an attempt to weaken federalism and concentrate power.
Opposition argues the move was less about women’s reservation and more about using delimitation to reshape electoral advantage.
Concerns over reduced seats for southern and northeastern states drove resistance in the Lok Sabha.
Priyanka says the bill’s defeat blocked an attempt to weaken federalism and concentrate power.
Opposition argues the move was less about women’s reservation and more about using delimitation to reshape electoral advantage.
Concerns over reduced seats for southern and northeastern states drove resistance in the Lok Sabha.
A day after the delimitation bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called it a “victory of democracy”. She accused the Centre of hatching a conspiracy to weaken federalism and rule the country forever.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, in a visibly lighter mood, she said the legislation was never about women’s rights but a deliberate attempt by the ruling party to entrench itself in power through a delimitation exercise.
“The government’s attempt to alter the federal structure and weaken democracy was stopped. It was a victory for the Constitution, the country, and the unity of the opposition. This was clearly visible on the faces of leaders from the ruling side.”
Priyanka said that the session was called suddenly and the draft bill was shared with members just a day before the vote, leaving no time for adequate review. She said the speeches of both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister during the session made "the government’s true intent unmistakable."
“I was listening to the speeches of the Home Minister and the Prime Minister,” she said. “On several occasions, both said that if you do not agree with this, you will never sit here, never come to power, and never win. That made their intent very clear.”
She argued that the bill had been structured as a political trap, engineered to benefit the ruling party regardless of whether it passed or failed. “The idea of the government was to come across as the messiah, savior of women,” she said.
Priyanka said: “The plan was to use delimitation based on the 2011 Census alongside women’s reservation to redraw constituencies to the ruling party’s electoral advantage,” she said.
“If it passed, they would proceed; if not, they would label others as anti-women and project themselves as champions. But becoming a true champion of women is not easy, it requires action. There is a history to it, and the Congress party has that history.”
The opposition’s objection was the bill’s linkage to the delimitation exercise, which parties have alleged would reduce parliamentary representation of southern and northeastern states.
Priyanka was unequivocal on this. “We don’t trust this government to carry out the delimitation exercise in the country and it is more about how they did in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
“We can’t let them be unfair to smaller states.” She warned the government would face consequences if the representation of these states in the Lok Sabha was reduced.
“The discussion was never about women’s rights, it was all about delimitation,” she said.
She warned that the government would now try to mislead the public, particularly women, over the constitutional amendment bill's failure.
On the opposition’s own position on women’s reservation, Priyanka said: “All opposition parties remain in favour of it in principle. They would support the government if it chose to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023 in its original form.
