A sharp political exchange unfolded in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill and related constitutional amendments, as Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav launched a strong critique of the government’s approach. Dimple Yadav questioned the intent behind linking women’s reservation to future processes such as census and delimitation, arguing that the 2023 version of the bill, which was earlier passed with broad consensus, clearly mentioned a roadmap involving census and subsequent delimitation before implementation. However, she raised concerns that the current legislative push appears to deviate from that agreed framework.
She alleged that the government has delayed the census process, stating that no comprehensive population census has been conducted in recent years, which in her view has created a gap in the constitutional roadmap required for fair delimitation. The Samajwadi Party leader further questioned why the census was not initiated earlier, suggesting that delays have pushed the timeline for women’s reservation further into the future. According to her, if census and delimitation had proceeded on time, women’s reservation could have been implemented much earlier. She criticized what she described as “haste” in the current legislative process, arguing that such urgency raises concerns about intent and transparency. Dimple Yadav also claimed that the delimitation exercise is being used as a political instrument rather than a neutral constitutional process. She warned that linking women’s reservation to this broader structural exercise risks turning a social empowerment measure into a politically contested issue, marking a significant challenge to the government’s narrative on the landmark legislation.
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