Delimitation: ‘Whole thing tied to number 16’: Rahul Gandhi’s intriguing dig at Centre during Delimitation debate | India News
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi The introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill on Friday sparked complaints and uproar from the opposition. During his speech to the lower house, he repeatedly referred to the “number 16” in a cryptic manner without clearly explaining its meaning.Amid frequent interruptions from the ruling side, Rahul ended his speech by saying “number 16”.“Yesterday I was watching the Prime Minister’s speech. Low power, disconnected, nothing coming. Then I noticed it was April 16,” he said.He continued, “There was panic when this bill was pushed. I looked at my phone and saw the date — 16. And I thought, this is the number. The whole answer to the puzzle lies in the number 16. Everything is number 16. Now if anyone understands what I’m talking about, please send me a message.”After Rahul’s speech, the official Congress handle on X also posted, “Riddle for you all: Yesterday, the Prime Minister was low on energy. Suddenly, I noticed it’s April 16. My God, how crazy! Number: sixteen (sixteen sounds a lot like Epstein, doesn’t it?)”Earlier during his speech, Rahul Gandhi referred to Prime Minister Modi as a “magician”, which drew strong reactions. Rajnath Singh and Om Birla.“Its magical Operation SindoorBalakot has been caught,” Rahul said, adding, “Everyone knows there is a partnership between the magician and the businessman.Rahul also said, “There is a central confusion in the minds of earlier people BJP. You are neither the people nor the armed forces of India. Stop hiding like a coward behind the armed forces and the people of India.”The comments were made during the debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill and its link with delimitation. Rahul Gandhi argued that the bill was less about improving women’s representation and more about political restructuring by redrawing constituencies.He claimed that the proposed delimitation exercise could reshape the electoral map in a way that would benefit the ruling BJP by undermining the existing social justice framework. According to him, this move can reduce the political influence of backward communities and marginalized groups.Opposition parties have also expressed concern that linking the implementation of women’s reservations with restrictions could have wider implications for federal balance, regional representation and caste-based political participation.
