Chavan warns against conflating delimitation bill with women’s reservation

Speaking to IANS in Mumbai on August 25, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan warned that the Bharatiya Janata Party is deliberately trying to merge two unrelated legislative matters – the Delimitation Bill and the demand for a 33 percent women’s reservation in Parliament and state assemblies.

Chavan traced the origins of women’s reservation to Rajiv Gandhi’s vision, which was later codified by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who mandated a one‑third reservation for women in local bodies. He recalled that as Maharashtra’s chief minister he raised that figure to 50 percent for municipal and panchayat institutions.

He underscored that the Congress has never opposed the reservation measure. While the party succeeded in passing a 33 percent reservation clause in the Lok Sabha, it was unable to achieve the same in the Rajya Sabha. In 2023 the BJP introduced a women’s reservation bill, and the Congress wholeheartedly supported it, highlighting that the law would become operational only after the next census.

“For the BJP, linking delimitation to women’s quota is pure deception,” Chavan said. He urged the government to enforce the 2023 reservation law without further delay and asked why a similar 33 percent quota is not being introduced for the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh and Punjab assembly elections.

Chavan also criticised Shiv Sena leader Devendra Fadnavis, questioning whether the party has ever placed a woman at the helm as Sarv Sanganchakra. He warned that the Sena’s attempt to secure a two‑thirds majority in both houses to amend the Constitution will face staunch resistance from the Congress.

He rejected any proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats to 850, noting that the present 543‑seat chamber already constraints MPs’ opportunities to speak. Chavan concluded by urging Maharashtra’s leadership to focus on women’s safety, calling for a realistic briefing on the India‑China border after NS Ajit Doval’s visit, and insisting on the appointment of competent ministers, especially in the education portfolio, who can earn students’ trust. He also linked soaring sugar and onion prices to heightened ethanol production, warning that inflation will persist as long as the current government remains in power.