Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge questioned the transparency of the Women's Reservation Bill on Thursday, urging the Centre to make the draft publicly available and conduct broader consultations prior to its implementation.

Addressing the issue, Kharge stated that although his party supports women’s reservation, the process being followed by the Centre lacks clarity. He highlighted the absence of the bill’s draft in the public domain and asked whether stakeholders, especially women, had been consulted before the Cabinet approved it.

“What is the Bill? Has anyone seen it? What is it about? While we support women’s reservation, the Cabinet has passed the Bill — where is the draft?” Kharge said.

He also expressed concerns regarding the planned delimitation exercise linked to the 2011 Census, noting that the census, originally scheduled for 2020, had been delayed.

“The census has been delayed deliberately, and now they want delimitation without updated data,” he added.

Kharge underlined the necessity for wider discussions and transparency when considering such a significant reform to ensure fair representation.

His comments come amid escalating political debate over proposed amendments to the Women’s Reservation Bill, which the government intends to address during a special Parliament session starting April 16.

Earlier, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor requested clarity on the bill, noting that the opposition has not yet seen its draft and seeks to evaluate its effects on federalism and legislative functioning.