“Delimitation, caste census poor excuses for postponement of women’s quota Bill”: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi [India]: Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party Friday, terming the delimitation exercise and caste census “poor excuses for the postponement” of the Women’s Reservation Bill.

He also alleged that the special session of the parliament was called to “create an election issue for a jaded and about-to-be faded Prime Minister without actually implementing it”.

On X, the Congress leader said, “The BJP stands exposed on its REAL intentions. Delimitation and Census are poor excuses for postponement.

The whole exercise was to create an election issue for a jaded and about-to-be-faded PM without actually implementing it.

He also said that the Congress Party moved two amendments to the Women’s Reservation Bill last night in the Rajya Sabha, “but were rejected”.

He claimed that these amendments would have ensured the implementation of the reservation from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections itself and reservation for OBC women in addition to the reservation for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the Congress leader said.

“Either of these amendments is eminently doable. Both were rejected,” he said in another tweet.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday during a discussion in Lok Sabha on the bill demanded its immediate implementation.

She said that a delay in implementing the bill is a gross unfairness to the women of the country.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Congress party for taking credit for the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament and said that Congress has never been serious about women’s reservation.

Several opposition members including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that caste census and delimitation are not required for implementing the Women’s Reservation Bill and it should come into force soon after it is passed by Parliament.

The Upper House, on Thursday, passed the bill, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha as well as the state legislative assemblies, unanimously with 214 members voting in support and none against.

Following the passage of the bill in Parliament, chants of ‘Modi Modi’ were raised by women MPs as they took turns to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the passage of the draft legislation.

Women members from both Houses of Parliament, including PT Usha, and Union Ministers Meenakashi Lekhi and Smriti Irani, were all smiles as they presented a bouquet to Prime Minister Modi on the historic passage of the Bill in Parliament.

Later, both the Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die. Earlier, on Wednesday, the Bill aced the legislative test in the Lok Sabha as it was passed by a brute majority of 454 votes in favour and just 2 against.