Govt reaches out to Congress on delimitation

Keen to secure Parliamentary approval for the delimitation and the women’s reservation Bills, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, on Thursday held a telephonic conversation with Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to seek support for the passage of the Bills. The latter, however, insisted on convening an all-party meeting on the proposed legislation, it was learnt.

“I had a productive conversation with Rahul Gandhi. I have made a request on a few specific issues and also discussed other matters. We expect continuous communication and coordinated action with the Congress and other Opposition parties,” Rijiju told reporters in the Parliament House complex.

The parliamentary affairs minister, however, did not give any commitment on convening the all-party meeting on the Bill, the sources said. The Government is trying for a consensus on the women’s reservation and delimitation Bill, they added.

Sources said that attempts are being made by the floor managers of the Government for reintroduction of the Bills, with some tweaks to the earlier Bills to allay apprehensions of the southern States. The Government is trying to reintroduce the Bill next week, with four working days of the Monsoon Session remaining before its closure on August 13.

This was the second time in the last couple of days that the parliamentary affairs minister spoke with the LoP on the phone. The minister also met him twice in the last 10 days for smooth functioning of the House.

On the Opposition’s demand for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s presence in the House, Rijiju said the home minister has introduced Bills and has been present in Parliament, working from morning till evening. “Naturally, the minister whose Bill is under consideration remains present in the House,” he said.

Referring to his call to Rahul, Rijiju said they may be political opponents but are not enemies. “Therefore, we should work together in the national interest. However, the impression created outside is that they are determined not to let Parliament function at all; but who ultimately suffers from that?” he asked.

The Government is making a fresh attempt for the passage of a Constitution amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and redraw the Lok Sabha constituencies to increase its numbers to 816 in the ongoing Monsoon Session. Seats are also expected to be increased in State and Union Territory Assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women. The outreach to the principal Opposition party Congress and NDA allies comes nearly four months after a similar effort failed due to lack of numbers.

The Government also plans to meet other Opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and DMK leadership, to gauge their view on the possible reintroduction of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill.

A Government functionary said if the Government wants to reintroduce the delimitation Bill, it will be done in the ongoing session and ruled out convening a brief special session soon after the Independence Day weekend. Rijiju also dismissed convening any special session.