Delimitation, not Women's Reservation, is the Core Issue, says Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi argues that the government's hurried special Parliament session, ostensibly for women's reservation, is a political tactic to push through delimitation. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, links women's reservation to the next Census and delimitation, a condition not sought by the opposition. She criticizes the five-year delay in conducting the decadal Census and the government's shifting stance on a caste census. The author suggests the real intention is to manipulate delimitation, potentially disadvantaging states that have excelled in family planning, and deems the process flawed and anti-democratic.
Key Points
- The government's rush for a special Parliament session is seen as a political maneuver to push delimitation, not genuinely accelerate women's reservation.
- The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, links women's reservation to the next Census and subsequent delimitation, a condition not sought by the opposition.
- The author criticizes the five-year delay in conducting the decadal Census and the government's shifting stance on a caste census.
- Any delimitation increasing Lok Sabha strength must be politically and arithmetically equitable, ensuring states prioritizing family planning are not disadvantaged.
- The process is deemed flawed and anti-democratic, with the real issue being delimitation, which could be dangerous for the Constitution.
Exam Facts
- The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, introduced Article 334-A in the Constitution.
- Article 334-A mandates one-third reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas.
- The 73rd and 74th Constitution Amendment Bills were passed in April 1993 and June 1993, respectively.
- The last decadal Census was due in 2021.
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