Summary of this article
Mallikarjun Kharge said it would be "impossible" to discuss the women’s reservation law without clarity on delimitation, urging wider consultations.
He accused the government of rushing implementation for "political mileage" by convening a special Parliament session during ongoing state elections.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it would be "impossible" to hold any meaningful discussion on the women’s quota law without clarity on delimitation and related aspects, and urged the government to convene an all-party meeting after the ongoing state polls conclude on April 29.
In his letter to Modi, Kharge said convening a special sitting of Parliament during elections reinforces the perception that the government is pushing the implementation of the law for "political mileage".
Kharge’s response came after the prime minister wrote to floor leaders regarding a special parliamentary session from April 16 to discuss the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
"I have just received your letter on the special session of Parliament for a discussion on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam from the 16th of April," Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said in his letter dated April 11.
"As you are aware, the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was passed by Parliament unanimously in September 2023. At that time, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, I had demanded that this important law should become effective immediately," he said.
Kharge noted that although the prime minister had earlier referred to broad consensus on immediate implementation, no action was taken.
"It has been 30 months since then, and now this special sitting has been called without taking us into confidence and your government is seeking our cooperation again without revealing any details on the delimitation going to be done. You will appreciate that without details of the delimitation and other aspects, it would be impossible to have any useful discussion on this historic law," he said.
"You mention in your letter that your government has engaged in dialogue with political parties regarding this. However, I am pained to point out that this goes against the truth since all the Opposition parties have been urging the government to call an all-party meeting after the current round of elections is over on April 29th, 2026 to discuss the Constitution amendments being contemplated," Kharge added.
He said holding a special session amid ongoing elections strengthens the Congress’ belief that the move is aimed at gaining "political mileage" rather than genuinely empowering women.
"I am also pained to write that the past record of the government in matters of public importance whether it is demonetisation, GST, census or even those pertaining to the federal structure like implementing Finance Commission recommendations and tax devolutions, does not inspire any confidence," Kharge said.
He emphasised that the proposed constitutional amendments would impact both the Centre and states, making it essential for all stakeholders to be consulted.
"If the special sitting is meant to 'strengthen our democracy' and 'moving forward together, taking everyone along' as you write in the letter, then I would suggest that the government convene an all-party meeting any time after April 29th to discuss the delimitation issue which is being linked to the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023," he said.
Tagging Kharge’s letter on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji writes to the PM on the special session of Parliament being convened in the middle of the election campaign in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal - which is a clear breach of the Model Code of Conduct." "He has reiterated the Opposition's request to have an All-Party meeting convened anytime after April 29, 2026," he added.
In his letter, Modi said the time had come to implement the Women’s Reservation Act in its true spirit, adding that the 2029 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections should be conducted with the quota in place.
"After extensive deliberations, we have reached the conclusion that the time has now come to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in its true spirit across the country.
"It is imperative that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with women's reservation in place," the prime minister wrote.
The exchange comes ahead of a three-day special session of Parliament beginning April 16, during which the government is expected to introduce legislation to operationalise the Women’s Reservation Act before the 2029 polls and expand Lok Sabha seats to 816, with 273 reserved for women.
The Congress has criticised the move, alleging that linking delimitation with the law is "not constitutional" and could have "grave consequences", and has called for wider consultations after the ongoing Assembly elections conclude.
