New Delhi, Aug 5: The government is making a fresh attempt for the passage of a Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and redraw the Lok Sabha constituencies to increase their number to 816 in the ongoing Monsoon session by reaching out to principal opposition party Congress and NDA allies.
The move comes nearly four months after a similar effort failed due to lack of numbers.
The government also plans to meet other opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and the DMK leadership to gauge their view on the possible reintroduction of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill.
As part of the outreach, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday and discussed with him the reintroduction of the Bill, but did not get any commitment from the Congress leader, sources aware of the government efforts said.
The meeting lasted about 50 minutes.
Rijiju has also sounded out the ruling NDA’s coalition partners about the government’s fresh initiative on the proposed legislation under which Lok Sabha seats will be increased to 816 from the current 543 to “operationalise” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
The sources said that attempts are being made by the government floor managers for the reintroduction of the Bill, with some tweaks to the earlier bill to allay apprehensions of the southern states, during next week, which has four working days before the conclusion of the Monsoon session on August 13.
Last time, a three-day special sitting was convened from April 16 to 18 for getting the Parliament’s approval to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill. It was for the first time that a bill under the Modi government was defeated in Parliament.
During the debate on the bill in April, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that a false narrative has been created that the southern states would be discriminated against during the delimitation exercise as they have been able to control population through various measures, in comparison to northern states.
The government may include a clause in the fresh bill that existing Lok Sabha seats in each state will be increased by 50 per cent, irrespective of its population size.
A government functionary said if the government wants to reintroduce the delimitation bill, it will be done in the ongoing session and ruled out convening a brief special session soon after the Independence Day weekend.
It makes no sense as yet to consider any special session, as being talked about in some quarters, as there is still one more week left for this session to end, a government floor manager said.
Rijiju did not bring up any proposal to extend the ongoing session or call a special one during his meeting with Gandhi, but the minister sought the Congress leader’s views on the Opposition’s stand on the delimitation issue, the sources said.
Rijiju went to Gandhi’s office in the Parliament complex for the meeting, during which Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present. Congress Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi and party general secretary KC Venugopal also joined the meeting later.
Gandhi conveyed to Rijiju that a statement by the Home Minister on police attacks on students during their protests on the NEET paper leak issue and a discussion on the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya were non-negotiable for the House to function, they said. This is the second time that Rijiju has met Gandhi in the past 10 days.
The minister had also made a telephonic call to Gandhi on Tuesday night.
Last time, the bill fell short of the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, with 298 members voting in favour against 230 opposing it. The government’s numbers have since improved marginally.
The NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha now stands at 299 following the merger of seven Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Among the 20 NCPI MPs, three Muslim lawmakers remained non-committal about their allegiance towards the NDA. However, if all 20 vote in favour of the bill, the government has the assured support of 319 MPs.
But it is still well short of the 360 votes required to pass a constitutional amendment based on the current effective strength of the House. (PTI)
