Real Concern is Delimitation, Says Sonia on Women’s Quota Bill

Sonia Gandhi’s latest salvo against the BJP-led government cuts straight to the heart of parliamentary drama. In her Hindu column, she declares delimitation—not women’s reservation—as the elephant in the room, portraying it as a constitutional dagger poised to strike.

Accusing PM Modi of evading caste census commitments, Gandhi dissects the special session’s suspicious timing. It’s a ploy, she argues, to ram through bills during election frenzy in key states, securing opposition buy-in through pressure rather than persuasion.

The 2023 women’s reservation law sailed through Parliament unanimously, but its post-delimitation activation clause wasn’t opposition-imposed. They sought swift 2024 enforcement; government intransigence prevailed.

Now, hints of 2029 tweaks after 30 months? Why skip all-party huddles post-Bengal voting? Repeated pleas ignored, Modi resorts to public campaigns, signaling unilateralism.

Gandhi invokes Rajiv Gandhi-era amendments: half a decade of nationwide talks birthed women’s empowerment in local governance, now boasting 1.5 million representatives. That’s the model for national quotas.

Census sabotage has starved welfare: 2021 delay hit 10 crore NFSA beneficiaries. Fresh ‘digital’ push for 2027, including castes—after earlier scorn—exposes inconsistencies. States prove caste counts are feasible fast.

Delimitation must follow census equitably, safeguarding progressive states and small ones from gerrymandering. Bill’s SC/ST sub-reservations are steps forward; OBC push awaits. July’s monsoon session allows measured steps: consultations, debates, then legislation.

‘Heaven won’t fall,’ she quips, slamming rushed overhauls as anti-democratic in a stirring call for inclusive politics.