‘Grave consequences’: Mallikarjun Kharge at CWC meet says government’s women quota move violates poll code | India News
New Delhi: Congress President Dr Mallikarjun Kharge Friday claimed that the Narendra Modi-led government’s proposed move to amend the Women’s Reservation Act and increase the number of parliamentary seats could violate the Model Code of Conduct and lead to “serious consequences”. He also strongly said that the opposition will protest unitedly in this regard.Addressing a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Kharge said that the issue required in-depth consultation and the opposition would respond collectively. “Hence, after this meeting, we will work out a joint strategy by discussing these issues with the opposition as well as with our colleagues. We will move forward unitedly,” Kharg was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The Congress chief also questioned the timing of the special parliamentary session scheduled for April 16 to 18, alleging that it was aimed at political gains. “The Modi government is convening the Parliament session with the sole intention of gaining political advantage and is eager to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill in a hurry,” Kharg said.He noted that the proposed amendments could significantly affect India’s electoral system and therefore required “very deep thought”. “Based on the information we have received so far, the government wants to implement women’s reservation from the 2029 elections … it wants to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816,” Kharg said.Expressing concern over the delimitation exercise, he added, “This delimitation proposal will have serious consequences. Therefore, there is a need for a very deep discussion on delimitation.”Kharge also alleged that the government ignored the opposition’s request to hold an all-party meeting after polling in West Bengal. “This constitutes a violation of the code of conduct … we do not expect it.” [the Election Commission] Even this violation will be considered,” he said.The meeting, attended by senior leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, discussed the government’s proposals on women’s reservations, restrictions and the broader political context ahead of the upcoming elections.In a Facebook post, Rahul Gandhi said, “Congress is steadfastly committed to women’s empowerment and ensuring social justice.”The government is expected to introduce bills during the special session to implement the Women’s Reservation Act before the 2029 general elections and increase Lok Sabha seats with a significant portion reserved for women.
