'Who is delaying it' KC Venugopal hits out at govt over women's quota bill

Congress leader K. C. Venugopal, speaking in the Lok Sabha during the special Parliament session, criticised the government's handling of the women's reservation bill, calling aspects of it "anti-Constitutional." He said the legislation could have been implemented as early as 2023, accusing the Centre of delaying the process and then blaming the opposition. "If you wanted, you could have implemented this bill in 2023 itself… and then the Prime Minister accuses us. Such drama from a Prime Minister is not understandable," he said.

Venugopal added that the opposition is willing to support the bill's passage, stating, "Even we are giving you a blank cheque, let the bill pass," but questioned the delay, noting that "three years have passed." He also invoked past leadership, saying India had strong women leaders, including a former Prime Minister, and criticised the current government while arguing for immediate and sincere implementation of women's reservation.

'Immediately implement 2023 Act': Uddhav Thackeray demands rollout of women's reservation

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has called for the immediate implementation of the 2023 law providing 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. He urged the government to move without delay on operationalising the legislation, emphasising that the measure should be enforced promptly to ensure greater representation of women in legislative bodies.

'We are not against women quota, but delimitation link': Arvind Sawant questions govt in Lok Sabha

Arvind Ganpat Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT), speaking in the Lok Sabha during the special Parliament session, questioned the government's intent, stating that the opposition is not against the women's reservation bill but opposes linking it to delimitation. Addressing the House amid disruptions, he said, "Why are you saying we are against women reservation? We are not. We are against how you are connecting it to delimitation."

Continuing his remarks, Sawant also criticised the government over its stance on women's issues, saying that while leaders speak about women's empowerment, past incidents must not be forgotten. Referring to Manipur, he said, "You are talking about women and power and how the nation is grateful to them, but do you remember Manipur? You might have forgotten, we haven't."

'I don't want credit': PM Modi on women's reservation bill in Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the Lok Sabha during the special Parliament session, said he does not want credit for the women's reservation bill, stressing that the focus should be on its passage rather than political recognition. Responding to opposition remarks, he said, "I don't want credit. After this bill passes, tomorrow I will give a full-page ad with whosoever's photo you want," adding that the government is willing to let anyone take credit if it helps move the legislation forward.

'Those opposing women's reservation not forgiven by voters': PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in the Lok Sabha during the special Parliament session, said that those who opposed women's reservation in the past were "not forgiven" by voters in subsequent elections. He noted that whenever elections followed debates on women's reservation, those against the measure faced public backlash. Modi added that this pattern did not occur in the 2024 elections as the proposal was passed unanimously, leaving no room for opposition on the issue.

'Ours is the Mother of Democracy': PM Modi in Lok Sabha on women quota bill

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the Lok Sabha during the special Parliament session on the women's reservation bill, said that the government's "intent is clean" and there is "no need to play with words." He remarked that the proposal could be described as a guarantee or a promise, but emphasised that clarity of intent matters more than terminology.

During his speech, Modi reiterated that the women's quota bill should not be given a political colour, calling it a "collective success" for the entire nation rather than a victory for any one party. He said the legislation reflects an effort to make India's laws more sensitive and inclusive, adding that lawmakers are "about to give the country a new direction."

He also highlighted India's democratic legacy, describing it as the "Mother of Democracy" and noting that the idea of women's reservation has evolved over the past 25-30 years to reach its current stage. Stressing inclusivity, Modi said that despite coming from an OBC background, his responsibility is to "take everyone forward together," guided by the Constitution.

'Let it come come first': PM Modi says women quota bill is a 'collective success', urges no political colour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the Lok Sabha during the special Parliament session on the women's reservation bill, said that the legislation should not be given any "political colour" and described it as a collective success for the entire nation rather than a victory for any single party.

He added that if the bill is passed, it would mark a significant step forward for India, with lawmakers "about to give the country a new direction." Modi said the move reflects an effort to make legislation more sensitive and inclusive, while noting that India is progressing with renewed confidence in the 21st century and its global stature is rising.

PM Modi to speak in Lok Sabha at 3 pm

PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the Lok Sabha around 3 pm today during the special three-day Parliament session focused on women's reservation and delimitation.

TMC on Women's Reservation

TMC leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said the 50% women's reservation proposal is being pushed to politically benefit the BJP. She also questioned the timing of the move, pointing out that multiple elections are currently underway across the country.

Akhilesh Yadav on Census & Reservation

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP is moving ahead with outdated census data and insisted that a fresh census should include caste-based enumeration. He stressed that the process must be conducted in a proper and systematic manner.

He also alleged that the women's reservation Bill has been introduced with electoral motives rather than genuine reform. He claimed it is aimed at keeping the BJP in power and said the party will not succeed, adding that rising household costs, LPG shortages, and inflation are hurting women and weakening public support.

Tejasvi Surya defends delimitation

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said that the proposed delimitation exercise should not be viewed as disadvantageous to southern states, adding that "the south could not have got a better deal than this" under the current framework.

Responding to Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, he stated that delimitation is a constitutional requirement under Articles 81 and 82, which mandate balancing population-to-seat ratios and redrawing constituency boundaries. He said the process is essential to correct existing imbalances in representation.

Surya also pointed out that India's population has increased significantly since 1971, while parliamentary seat counts have remained frozen, resulting in unequal constituency sizes. He argued that the delimitation exercise is necessary to align representation with present-day demographic realities, expected to be addressed by 2026.

Gogoi says Women's Reservation should be on current 543 seats

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Women's Reservation Bill, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the quota should be implemented based on the current strength of the House, which has 543 seats, and should not be linked to the upcoming delimitation exercise. He said the government is repeatedly creating hurdles in implementing women's reservation.

Gogoi further alleged that the Bills are not truly aimed at women's reservation but are being used to push delimitation "through the back door." He added that if the government had accepted the Opposition's stand in 2023, the reservation could have been implemented much earlier.

Meghwal: "815 Seats, 272 Reserved for Women"

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said in the Lok Sabha that the Women's Reservation Bill, passed in 2023, is set to be implemented based on the upcoming census after 2026 and the delimitation exercise. He explained that the proposal includes a 50% increase in the strength of Lok Sabha, taking the total to around 815 seats, with 272 seats reserved for women, ensuring one-third representation in the House.

He further assured that no state will lose representation in the process, adding that all states will retain their existing strength even after the expansion of seats.

Om Birla - House discipline & schedule

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the discussion on the three Bills will last between 15 to 18 hours, with voting scheduled for 4 pm the next day.

He also issued a strict warning to MP Vishal Patil, stating that he had already been given sufficient warnings and would not be allowed further speaking time if parliamentary rules are not followed.

Kiren Rijiju on debate duration & voting plan

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the House that the discussion on the Bills will continue for around 12 hours. He said the Speaker has the authority to extend the debate if required, and confirmed that voting on the Bills will be conducted tomorrow.

Amit Shah defence of the legislative move

Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the government's decision, saying the two Bills have been brought together to ensure that women's reservation is taken to its "logical end." He indicated that the intent is to complete the legislative process in a structured and effective manner.

KC Venugopal's objection to clubbing bills

Congress MP KC Venugopal opposed the manner in which the Bills were introduced, stating that one of them is a Constitutional Amendment Bill while the others are not. He said clubbing different types of Bills together is not a good parliamentary practice and warned that it could lead to serious procedural and constitutional consequences.

Congress line-up for debate on 131st Amendment Bill

Congress has finalised its list of speakers for the debate on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in Parliament. The party will be represented by Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K.C. Venugopal, Manish Tewari, Praniti Shinde, K. Suresh, and Mohammed Javed. These leaders are expected to present the party's position during the discussion on the Bill in the House.

207 MPs support bill introduction

Lok Sabha cleared the introduction of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 with 207 votes in favour after a division was sought. The Opposition voted against the motion, while the Bill will now move to the debate stage in Parliament.

In a notable development, 86 NDA MPs were reported absent during the voting process.

Owaisi opposes Constitutional Amendment Bill

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi opposed the Bill, saying it goes against parliamentary democracy and federalism, which he called part of the Constitution's basic structure. He argued that the Bill is not about women's reservation but about altering representation dynamics, warning it could impact OBC and Muslim representation in legislatures.

NK Premachandran says 131st Amendment is about delimitation, not women's reservation

RSP MP NK Premachandran opposed the introduction of the Bills, saying he stands firmly against them. He argued that the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill is not related to women's reservation, which was already passed unanimously in 2023, but is instead focused on delimitation.

He further said the government is attempting to alter the constitutional framework on how census data is used for delimitation, shifting it from a constitutional mandate to a law made by Parliament.

Amit Shah: Reservation based on religion cannot be allowed

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the government has already initiated the census process and taken a decision to conduct a caste census, with enumeration being carried out along with caste data. He added that if it were up to the Samajwadi Party, they would even assign castes to households.

Taking a strong line on the Opposition's demand for reservations for Muslim women, Shah said it is "unconstitutional," stating that reservation based on religion cannot be allowed under the Constitution.

Opposition demanded a division of votes

The Opposition demanded a division of votes in the Lok Sabha as the House took up voting on the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill. The motion requires a simple majority, with voting currently underway.

Procedural moment in Lok Sabha

Speaker Om Birla referred to Rule 72 of the House rules amid Opposition objections during the introduction of Bills.

As members from the Opposition raised points during the debate on the Bills, Om Birla paused proceedings to clarify Rule 72 of the Lok Sabha's Rules of Procedure, which governs how objections to the introduction of a Bill are handled.

Under Rule 72, opposing members are allowed to make brief submissions, followed by the mover of the Bill. The Speaker then puts the motion to vote, except in the case of Finance or Appropriation Bills, where the motion is directly put to vote.

Samajwadi Party opposed the three Bills

MP Dharmendra Yadav opposed the three Bills, saying they are "completely against the Constitution" and alleging that separating delimitation from the census is a serious concern. He also warned that the government is "planning to do the same they did with Jammu and Kashmir and Assam."

He said the party will not support the women's reservation Bill unless it includes quotas for OBC and Muslim women. He urged the government to withdraw the Bills and instead implement the 2023 law on women's reservation.

Amit Shah responds to opposition

Union Home Minister Amit Shah pushed back against the Opposition's objections, stating that Congress MP KC Venugopal cannot raise arguments on the merits of the Bills at the stage of introduction.

He said the government will address all concerns during the discussion phase, adding, "we will give a strong reply to the Opposition during the debate."

KC Venugopal opposes bills

Congress MP KC Venugopal strongly opposed the introduction of the Bills, calling them a "fundamental attack on indian federal structure." He urged the government to first implement the 33% women's reservation law passed in 2023.

He also accused the ruling NDA of attempting to "hijack the indian democracy" and said the move appeared politically motivated ahead of the 2029 elections, demanding that the Bills be withdrawn.

Bills introduced in Lok Sabha

Three major Bills were introduced during the session:

• Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 - introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, marking a significant constitutional proposal.
• Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 - introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah to update and align legal frameworks governing Union Territories.
• Delimitation Bill, 2026 - also introduced by Meghwal, aimed at redrawing electoral boundaries, which could have major implications for representation.