Published Apr 17, 2026 | 5:45 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 17, 2026 | 5:46 PM
Rahul Gandhi said the bills are an attempt by the BJP to bypass the proposed caste census.
Synopsis: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday, 17 April, said the opposition would block the contentious delimitation bills, calling them a bid by the BJP to reshape the country’s electoral map and avoid giving representation to marginalised groups. He said the move bypasses the caste census and called it a “desperate move” by the BJP. He demanded the immediate implementation of the women’s reservation bill, 2023.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday, 17 April, said the opposition would not allow the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. He called the three bills a “desperate attempt” by the BJP to change the electoral map of India, “using and hiding behind India’s women.”
The three bills were tabled on Thursday by the Union government on the first day of the ongoing special session of Parliament. The government said they aim to expedite the implementation of 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The bills are expected to be taken up for voting on Friday evening.
“This bill has nothing to do with the empowerment of women. There is a women’s bill. It was passed in 2023 in this House itself. And my friends and teachers in the BJP said that it would be implemented in ten years. That is the women’s bill,” Gandhi said on the Lok Sabha floor amid multiple interruptions from the treasury benches.
“This is an attempt to change the electoral map of India, using and hiding behind India’s women. And actually, it is a shameful act. Because instead of giving them women’s reservation, which is very easy to do, and which every single person in the opposition will support right now, bring that old bill back and we will help you pass it for implementation from this very moment.”
Gandhi accused the BJP of being “scared” of its eroding strength and of trying to shore up support by rejigging electoral maps.
“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 trying to rejig it. You have done it in Assam, you have done it in Jammu and Kashmir, and now you imagine you can do it across India. And you need a constitutional amendment to do that,” Gandhi said.
“You are telling the South Indian states, the Northeastern states, and smaller states in India that, in order for the BJP to remain in power, you are going to take representation away from them. This is nothing short of an anti-national act. This is what you are doing.”
The Congress leader vowed to never allow the NDA to pass the bills “under no circumstances”.
“The entire opposition is going to defeat this attempt to attack the nation state and deprive OBCs and Dalits of their rightful place in society,” he said.
Also Read: Delimitation, democracy and federal balance: An Ambedkarite view from the South
The senior Congress leader said the bills are an attempt by the BJP to bypass the proposed caste census set for the 2027 decennial census and avoid giving representation to marginalised communities.
“What [these bills] attempt to do is bypass the caste census. What they are trying to do is avoid giving power and representation to my OBC brothers and sisters, and to take power away from them. This is the agenda. That is the first agenda: Manuvad over the caste census,” Gandhi said.
“Mr Amit Shah repeated twice yesterday, trying to be clever, saying that houses do not have caste. The point is not that houses do not have caste. The point is whether the caste census is going to be used for representation in Parliament. What you are trying to do now is ensure that the caste census has nothing to do with representation for the next 10 or 15 years, so that you can kick the ball down the line.”
He also accused the BJP government of gutting the public sector since coming to power, depriving marginalised communities of space and handing key sectors to private interests.
“I want to ask you: corporate India, the entire financial structure of India, where are the OBCs? The top bureaucracy of this country, where are they? The private sector, private hospitals, the healthcare sector, the education sector, where are they?” he asked.
“Earlier, there used to be something called the public sector. The public sector provided space for Dalits and OBCs. You demolished it and handed it over to your friends. You say all OBCs are Hindus. You call Dalits Hindus, but you do not give them any space in the power structure. You can ask any Dalit, you can ask any OBC. This is a fact. You call them Hindus, but you do not give them any place in this country.”
This drew strong protests from the treasury benches. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Congress governments since independence bear greater responsibility for the deprivation of marginalised communities.
Also Read: ‘There will be no injustice to any southern state in delimitation,’ says Amit Shah
Gandhi said the BJP knew the bills would not pass and called them a panic move to send two “messages”.
“I want to assure my friends, brothers and sisters across the country—the southern states, the smaller states, the northeastern states—do not worry. We are not going to allow them, the BJP, to attack the Union of India. You are equal participants in the Union of India,” he said.
“They will not dare to touch your representation in the Union of India. The BJP knew very clearly that this bill cannot be passed. We knew it. They are not stupid. They knew that with the opposition against it, this bill cannot be passed. This was a panic reaction.”
He continued:
“This was a panic reaction because the Prime Minister, at any cost, needed to send two messages. Number one, he needed to change the electoral map of India, and number two, he needed to send a message again that he is pro-women. Why he is doing that, I will leave it to your imagination. I will leave it to your imagination, but the powers that be know exactly why he is doing it.”
Gandhi then tried to narrate an anecdote, repeating his earlier claims against the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
“The truth is the magician has been caught. The magician of Balakot, the magician of demonetisation, the magician of Operation Sindoor, has suddenly been caught. Why?” he said.
This led to a major din in the House, as members of the treasury benches created a ruckus in anger.
Also Read: The 131st Amendment Bill is not delimitation. It is South India’s disenfranchisement
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objected to Rahul Gandhi calling the Prime Minister a “magician”, saying Narendra Modi was chosen by 140 crore people. He demanded an apology and asked that the remarks be expunged.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Gandhi’s remarks on Balakot and Operation Sindoor insulted “brave soldiers”. He added that the Speaker had repeatedly told Gandhi to stay within Lok Sabha rules, and that mocking the Prime Minister under different names insults the people of the country.
Rijiju then cited the rule book, saying even referring to a minister as a “magician” is unparliamentary.
The Speaker refused to let Gandhi continue unless he stopped calling the Prime Minister a “magician” and stuck to the three bills.
In response, Gandhi said his remarks were aimed at the BJP and its members, and asked the party to stop “cowardly” hiding behind the armed forces and the people of India.
“There is a central, fundamental confusion in the minds of the BJP and its leadership. And the confusion is that they think they are the people of India. You are not the people of India. The people of India are something else. They also think that they are the armed forces. You are not the armed forces. The armed forces are something else,” Gandhi said.
“You are a political organisation. You are not India, and you are not the armed forces of India. We are not attacking the people of India. We are not attacking the armed forces of India. We are attacking you. Do not hide behind the people of India or behind our armed forces. So stop hiding like cowards, and come out and have a discussion with us.”
He continued:
“Now what you are attempting is to take away a constitutional right, snatching that from the people of India. We are not going to allow you. You will see, we will defeat this bill right here.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
