BJP’s Women Reservation cover to push delimitation exposed & defused: Tony

SUCHETGARH, April 18: Senior Congress leader and former DDC Suchetgarh Taranjit Singh Tony today issued a strongly worded statement asserting that the BJP-led Central Government’s “hidden agenda” to alter India’s electoral framework under the guise of women’s reservation has been exposed and decisively defeated in Parliament.

Citing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Tony said that the Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed unanimously in 2023 with full support of Congress and other opposition parties. He alleged that the recent move by the government was not about empowering women, but about “hiding delimitation behind the women’s bill” to push a larger political agenda.

He emphasized that the Congress Party has consistently been the strongest advocate of 33% reservation for women and had extended full support to the legislation in 2023 despite raising concerns over its linkage with delimitation and census. “Congress had clearly warned the government not to link women’s reservation with delimitation. Ignoring those concerns has now exposed the BJP’s real intentions,” he said, while chairing a meeting at Suchetgarh.

Tony further stated that the manner and timing of the notification made it evident that the government was more interested in creating confusion than ensuring implementation. He noted that the united opposition, led by Congress, stood firm and successfully resisted what he described as an attempt to weaken the democratic and federal structure of the country.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, he said the opposition’s intervention ensured that democracy was protected and the Constitution safeguarded. He alleged that linking delimitation with women’s reservation would have reduced the representation of southern states like Tamil Nadu, as well as northeastern and smaller states, thereby disturbing the federal balance.

Reiterating Congress’s position, Tony said that the Women’s Reservation law must be implemented immediately on the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats without any delay or conditions. “Postponing implementation until 2029 clearly reflects lack of political will. If the government was sincere, it could have ensured women’s representation in the 2024 elections itself,” he said.

He also accused the BJP of politicizing the issue for electoral gain. “If the intention was genuine, separate bills for delimitation and women’s reservation would have been brought and passed independently. Instead, the BJP attempted to merge them to push its hidden agenda,” he added.

Concluding, Taranjit Singh Tony said that the developments in Parliament have exposed both the policy and intent of the BJP. “The hidden agenda has failed. Congress and the opposition have once again stood firm to protect democracy, uphold the Constitution, and ensure that women’s rights are not delayed or denied,” he asserted.