‘Visible change of heart in Rahul Gandhi’: Rijiju challenges Congress to back Women’s Reservation bill unconditionally

NEW DELHI: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday challenged the Congress to support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally after Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s call for freedom of expression for women.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, in his video, had said that the country’s politics should be about “making people understand that our country is stunted and incomplete without the expression of women”. Rijiju termed it a positive message from Congress.

“This seems to be a positive message from the Congress Party. There’s a visible change of heart in Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji about the Women. Now, I hope the Congress Party will support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally,” the Union Minister posted on X.

This seems to be a positive message from the Congress Party. There’s a visible change of heart in Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji about the Women. Now, I hope Congress Party will support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally. https://t.co/nSzH2C6Orf

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 8, 2026

While the Congress and the opposition parties have expressed support for the women’s reservation bill, they opposed the delimitation exercise, seeking to increase the number of seats in the Lower House of Parliament. The Opposition has demanded delinking of women’s reservation from the delimitation exercise.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was passed in both Houses of Parliament, but failed to move ahead with implementation after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill fell in the Lok Sabha on April 17, not being able to receive the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting. The Bill was linked to 33 per cent women’s reservation in legislatures and delimitation in the Lok Sabha.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi, in a video on social media, argued the “energy of India’s women is trapped” and they should be allowed to express themselves in all spheres of life.

He said, “The energy of India’s women is trapped. It is not allowed to express itself. It is not allowed to imagine. For me, no country can be successful if its women are not expressing themselves. And I think a lot of my politics, and a lot of what politics should be in this country, is about making people understand that our country is stunted and incomplete without the expression of women.”

“It’s not just them doing well in business or politics, but being able to express in their houses, walk the streets comfortably, them putting a point of view that many don’t agree with, questioning their parents, husbands, brothers. A certain amount of freedom from patriarchy and the rigid control men put on women is required if India wants to develop. It has been assaulted and put in the back seat, and we have to bring back women into conversation and allow them to express,” the Congress leader added. (ANI)