Opposition parties to meet on April 15 on women’s reservation, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said opposition parties will meet on April 15 to discuss implementation of the Women’s Reservation law, alleging the Centre is not holding proper consultations despite the legislation having wider national implications

Bengaluru: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the Congress will convene a meeting of all the opposition parties on April 15 to deliberate on the implementation of the Women’s Reservation law, accusing the Centre of not being prepared to hold a comprehensive consultation with all stakeholders.

Addressing reporters here, he maintained that while the party fully supports the legislation, there is a need for wide discussions on its implementation given its broader national implications.

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“The Centre has called a meeting. I have already replied to the letter written either by Kiren Rijiju or even the Prime Minister to me,” Kharge said.

“If they (the Centre) call all parties and allow discussions, we can participate and offer our suggestions. But they are not prepared to call an all-party meeting. That is why we are once again convening an all (opposition) party meeting on April 15. Whatever decision we take in that all-party meeting, we will convey it,” he added.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha asserted that the Congress has consistently backed women’s reservation and dismissed suggestions of opposing the legislation.

“Apart from that, none of us are opposed to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam or the Women’s Reservation Act. We have already supported it, and it is an Act that was passed unanimously. They are simply trying to take political advantage of this,” he claimed.

Emphasising the party’s long-standing commitment, he noted that the Congress has always supported one-third reservation.

According to Kharge, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had raised this long ago.

“We have already implemented it in panchayats, zila panchayats, and even in corporations. So there is no need to teach us lessons.” He underscored that decisions of such magnitude require collective deliberation.

The Congress chief said that when a decision concerning the country is made, it has larger implications. Since the Act has already been passed, all parties must be called together to decide how it should be implemented, he added.

Reiterating the party’s next step, Kharge said, “So let us see. We have called an all (opposition) party meeting on the 15th, and we will all sit and discuss.”

The Budget session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting of the House has been convened from April 16 to 18, during which amendments to the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, more commonly known as the Women’s Reservation Act, will be brought for its implementation in 2029.