Congress president hints at backing Centre with 2029 rolloutNEW DELHI: Rebuffing fresh overture from the Centre for a meeting to discuss amendments to the women’s reservation bill, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Thursday wrote to the Modi government that the opposition is “extremely busy” with assembly election campaign and reiterated the demand that the government call an all-party meeting after April 29 when voting closes for the polls.However, for the first time since talk of amending the quota bill started, Kharge has indicated the opposition’s readiness to facilitate implementation of 33% women’s reservation in legislatures from 2029. Also, the government is learnt to have formally told Kharge that it wants to delink Census and delimitation from the women’s quota matter.Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju Thursday, wrote to Kharge seeking a meeting to discuss the issue. In response, Kharge chided the government for being in a “great hurry” to “amend a Constitutional amendment Act 30 months after it was initially passed”, and asked it to wait till the end of polls.“We are all extremely busy with the election campaign. That is the reason why we had suggested that the meeting be held after the campaign is over,” he wrote, adding, “This will, in no way, affect the implementation of the amended Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, from the 2029 Lok Sabha election onwards.”
On Tuesday, opposition INDIA bloc, barring TMC, wrote to the government that it should call an all-party brainstorming on amending the landmark bill. It demanded that the government circulate its proposal of amendments in advance for better discussion. Kharge has twice before rejected a Congress-only meeting plea from the government, and told it to discuss the issue with the entire opposition camp.Berating the govt, Kharge wrote, “On Sept 21, 2023, during debate in Rajya Sabha, I had myself demanded the immediate implementation of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, but the govt had not agreed with my demand.”Congress spokesman Jairam Ramesh said the implication of the govt’s fresh plea is that it wants to amend 334-A(1), which is abrupt since the clause to the Constitution was passed just over two years ago. Pointing to the ongoing polls, he said, “The Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct has been reduced to being the Modi Code of Campaigning. Calling a special two-day session any day in April would violate one MCC but will be in keeping with the other.”
