Kharge said the government could allocate one-third of the seats to women based on the current strength of the House and the existing delimitation arrangements. “You can easily allocate one-third of the seats for them. Who is stopping you?” he asked, arguing that the controversy was merely an attempt to defame others and damage the Opposition’s image.
The Congress president also questioned the Centre’s allegations against the Opposition, asking why Congress would have tried to get the legislation passed earlier if it intended to oppose women’s reservation.
“If we had to oppose it, why would we have tried to pass the law in the first place?” Kharge said, describing the Prime Minister’s approach as another political move. He alleged that Modi wanted to advance his agenda by making false statements and misleading the public.
Kharge further accused the central government of trying to tarnish the Opposition’s image and discredit its position on women’s reservation. He reiterated that Congress’s earlier efforts to pass the legislation demonstrated that the party was not opposed to the law.
#WATCH | Kalaburagi, Karnataka: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says, "You (central govt) could implement the one-third reservation for women right now. Given the existing strength of the house or the current delimitation, you could simply allocate one-third of those seats. What is stopping you? This is purely a ploy to defame others, to malign the opposition... if we were to oppose it, why would we try to pass law earlier? This is just another one of PM Modi’s tactics; he wants to push this agenda forward while deceiving the public with lies."
— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2026
The remarks come amid an ongoing political confrontation between the Opposition and the Centre over women’s reservation and its implementation.
What Is the Women’s Reservation Law?
India’s women’s reservation legislation is known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023. Under the law, approximately 33 per cent, or one-third, of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies are reserved for women. The Delhi Legislative Assembly is also covered by the legislation.
The debate centres on the implementation of the one-third reservation provision, with Kharge maintaining that the government could allocate seats for women under the existing strength of the House and current delimitation arrangements. His remarks have put the focus on the Centre’s approach to implementation and the political disagreement surrounding the legislation.
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