Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress President Dr Pratiksha Khalap on Tuesday said that while 33 per cent reservation for women in politics is essential, the BJP is attempting to push the Nari Shakti Vandana Adhiniyam Bill in Parliament without adequate consultation, raising concerns over intent and timing.
Addressing a press conference, Khalap said the Bill is being brought during a special session from April 16 to 18 without taking opposition parties into confidence. She alleged that the move appears to be driven by electoral considerations rather than genuine empowerment.
“The Women’s Reservation Bill is extremely important. It is a long-pending demand, and the Congress Party has always supported it. It has to be passed and implemented. We need to see women leaders in the Lok Sabha and assemblies. We welcome women’s reservation wholeheartedly. But the process must be fair, transparent, and constitutional,” she said.
Khalap warned that the proposed implementation is linked to delimitation, which has not yet been carried out due to the pending census. Referring to provisions under the 106th Constitutional Amendment, she said reservation would only come into effect after delimitation is completed.
“General delimitation can disturb the federal structure of India. States with higher populations, particularly in North India, will gain more seats, while southern states with controlled population growth may lose representation. This creates a serious imbalance. For example, if there is a constituency with an ST population and it is reserved for general, it will be unfair. Thus it is essential to complete caste census and then conduct delimitation. There has been no census done after 2011. Even the Registrar General has indicated that the census process will be completed by 2027. So why is the BJP in such a hurry now? The delimitation will follow and then the Bill should be kept for discussion and debate before implementing it,” she said.
Khalap traced the history of women’s reservation efforts, noting that grassroots-level reservation was implemented during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure after extensive consultations.
“That Bill was passed after almost a year following various discussions and after census, delimitation, etc. As a result, today, about 14-15 lakh women are in active politics and are elected at various positions. In 1996, the Bill was tabled for women’s reservation in assemblies by then Law Minister Adv. Ramakant Khalap, but it was not implemented as the government fell. In 2023, when this bill was discussed in Parliament, it was unanimously decided by all opposition parties to pass this Bill for the 2024 polls, but the government had said that they want to conduct a census and then delimitation which would be done by 2026-27, and the Bill was kept on hold,” she said.
She also referred to communication from All India Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge, who has urged the Prime Minister to convene an all-party discussion on the Bill after April 29, citing ongoing elections in states such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
“BJP does not take any step without political calculation. This is a party that operates 24×7, 365 days a year in election mode. Every move is designed keeping elections in mind, not public interest. As per Article 334A of the Constitution, it was unanimously decided that first a census will be conducted, followed by delimitation, and only then the Bill will be implemented — all of this expected around 2026-27. But today, suddenly, the BJP wants to bring this bill with certain changes. What are these changes? Nobody knows. The opposition has not been taken into confidence. There has been no transparency. The BJP is now saying they may rely on the 2011 Census and proceed with delimitation. Why this sudden shift? Why this haste?” she said.
Khalap alleged that opposition parties have been excluded from the decision-making process.
“Opposition parties have not been taken into confidence regarding the discussion of this Bill. This is nothing but a politically motivated U-turn. It reflects a complete lack of planning, unwillingness to consult the opposition, and a pattern of misleading the public. We have seen this pattern before — major decisions pushed without proper debate or discussion. This is not how a democracy should function. They don’t take the consensus of all parties and get the Bill passed,” she said.
Questioning the timing of the special session, she pointed out that elections in West Bengal are scheduled for April 25 and 29.
“Will leaders campaign in Bengal or attend Parliament? This bill could easily have been taken up after April 29. But it appears that the BJP knows it is facing defeat in West Bengal, and is now trying to disrupt the opposition campaign and gain political mileage using this bill. Today, the BJP has no real narrative in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. So they are trying to use women’s reservation as a political tool to influence voters,” she said.
Khalap further questioned the government’s intent on women’s empowerment.
“If the BJP is truly serious about women’s reservation, then why not implement 33% reservation immediately within the existing 543 seats in Parliament? What is stopping them? The truth is — that is not their intention. They want to increase the seats to 800 and then implement 33% reservation. Women of India deserve genuine empowerment — not political drama. They deserve implementation — not manipulation. They deserve respect — not exploitation for votes,” she said.
She also criticised Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, questioning the government’s record on women’s issues.
“What has the government done in this regard? Women are facing atrocities. As a political gimmick, they are talking about such bills now without any discussion. Why is there not a single woman minister in the cabinet? If the BJP is truly committed, then implement 33% reservation immediately in the existing Parliament. Women were at the forefront of the protest at Chimbel and Mirabag, and even at the ongoing opposition at Sarvan Bicholim; what has the government done for them? BJP women members are not even talking about these issues. The CM didn’t even condemn the Curchorem sex scandal. This is a fake agenda to get women’s votes, using women as a vote bank,” she said.
Khalap was addressing the media in the presence of State Vice President Saiee Volvoikar and North District President Mollie da Gama Silva.
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