NEW DELHI: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday sharpened her attack on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, alleging that the government is using women’s reservation as a political instrument while deliberately tying it to delimitation to stall its rollout.
Participating in the charged debate during the special session of Parliament, Gandhi underscored that the Congress fully backs 33% reservation for women but questioned the intent behind the current framework. “This is not a debate on whether we support women’s reservation — we unequivocally do. The real question is: why delay it by linking it to delimitation?” she said, adding that the legislation “smells of politics” and risks pushing implementation into the distant future.
Taking direct aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said he “did not tell the full story” in his address to the House. “He spoke about opposition to women’s reservation but chose not to say who opposed it. The truth is that the BJP had opposed it at that time,” she said, accusing the ruling party of attempting to rewrite history while claiming credit for a long-standing reform.
Gandhi warned that linking the quota to a fresh delimitation exercise could delay its benefits for years, calling it a “hurried delimitation push for political gains rather than genuine empowerment.” She also flagged key gaps in the bill, pointing out that there is “not a word” on how the number of Lok Sabha seats would be increased, raising concerns over transparency and execution.
Pushing for a more inclusive framework, she demanded sub-quotas within the reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. “Without a caste census, no section can receive its fair share. The government is relying on outdated 2011 Census data that does not even capture OBC figures,” she argued.
In a broader political critique, Gandhi accused the government of steadily eroding democratic institutions. “The weakening of democracy began with pressure on institutions, but what we are witnessing now is an open attack,” she said, asserting that women across the country “can see through attempts to mislead.”
Highlighting legislative milestones, Gandhi credited Congress governments under Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao for laying the foundation of grassroots women’s representation through reservations in panchayats and municipalities. “Because of those laws, 15 lakh women today are part of nearly 40 lakh panchayat representatives shaping our democracy,” she said.
Agencies