‘Bills to implement women’s quota an attempt to change India’s electoral map, nothing to do with empowerment’: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed the government over the Delimitation Bill, which is among the legislations to implement women’s reservation from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, and said it has “nothing to do with the empowerment of women” and is an “attempt to change the electoral map of India.”

Taking part in the debate in the Lok Sabha on the three bills aimed to implement the women’s quota from the 2029 general elections, Rahul Gandhi said it is an “attempt to bypass the caste census”. “The first truth is that this is not a women’s bill. This has nothing to do with the empowerment of women. This is an attempt to change the electoral map of India. Actually, it is a shameful act”, he said.

“What is being attempted here is a bypass of the caste census. What they are trying to do is they are trying to avoid giving power, giving representation to my OBC brothers and sisters, and take away from them…the point is not that, but the point is that whether the caste census is going to be used for representation in Parliament, Vidhan Sabha. What you are trying to do is to make sure that the caste census has nothing to do with representation. So that you can kick the ball down by 10 years,” he added.

#WATCH | Delhi | On his “magician” remark, LoP Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi says, “It is a puzzle, I won’t tell the answer just like that. If I find the solution, I will tell you this is it.” pic.twitter.com/fPG8kFxmI1

— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2026

Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said the opposition will not allow the three bills to be passed and said the government should implement the Nari Shakti Act without delay.

“Giving the women’s reservation, which is easy to do, and every Opposition member will pass it…bring that old bill back right now, we will help you pass it with implementation this second. That is the women’s bill, this is something else. The truth needs to be told about what this is,” he said

He accused the BJP-led central government of trying to “rejig the entire political map of India” in an attempt to remain in power.

“Second thing being done, equally bad and dangerous is that because you are scared of what is happening in the politics of this country, you are scared of the erosion of your strength. You are scared of the erosion of your strength. You are trying to rejig the Indian political map. You have done it in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and you are trying to imagine you can do it for the rest of India”, Gandhi said.

“Let me explain what you are doing. You are telling the South Indian, Northeastern states, smaller states that for BJP to remain in power, we are going to take away representation from you. This is nothing short of an anti-national act. Under no circumstances will we allow you to do it,” he added.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday resumed discussion on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. The discussion began on Thursday afternoon and continued late into night till 1.25 am. (ANI)