Parliament LIVE | No two-thirds majority: Women's Quota Amendment Bill fails in LS

Dimple Yadav backs women’s quota, questions govt intent behind amendment

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said the Opposition supports women’s reservation but accused the government of misleading claims and questioned whether the amendment is for empowerment or political gain, noting that the 2023 law clearly linked implementation to the Census.

RS members congratulate Harivansh on re-election as deputy chairman

Members across party lines in the Rajya Sabha on Friday congratulated Deputy Chairman Harivansh on his re-election for a third term, praising his conduct in the Chair and urging him to ensure greater space for Opposition voices in the House.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge described Harivansh's election as "historic", noting that he is the first nominated member to hold the post. "Your election to this post has set another example, it proves that you are deserving of this position," Kharge said, while also remarking on the swift manner in which the vacancy was filled.

However, Kharge used the occasion to highlight that the post of Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha has remained vacant since 2019.

"We talk about democracy but cannot elect a Deputy Speaker, what does it mean?" he asked, urging the government to fill the position and stressing that such constitutional posts should not remain unoccupied.

Congratulating Harivansh on behalf of the DMK, Tiruchi Siva said his election marked a first for a nominated member and expressed the hope that he would go on to equal and even surpass the record of Najma Heptulla, who was Deputy Chairman of the Upper House for four terms.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal questions Centre over bills, cites ‘missing assurances’

SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal questioned the Centre over its assurances on the proposed delimitation and women’s reservation-related Bills, saying that key claims made in Parliament are not reflected in the text of the legislation.

She said the Home Minister had assured the House that there would be a 50 per cent uniform increase in seats and that proportional representation of states would remain unchanged. However, she asked where such assurances were mentioned in the Bills, adding that legal scrutiny would be based on written provisions rather than oral statements made in Parliament.

Badal alleged that the intent behind the Bills was “political” and “highly suspect,” and accused the Centre of “changing the goalpost” on implementation of the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act.

She said the earlier Act could not be implemented because it was linked to the next Census and delimitation exercise, but argued that the Centre is now shifting to a framework based on the 2011 Census.

Badal further said the Opposition’s concerns would be validated in court if challenged, as judicial review would focus only on the text of the Bills and not assurances made on the floor of the House.

TMC questions 'rush' in appointing RS deputy chairman

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien on Friday questioned the "rush" in appointing Harivansh the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, and pointed out that Lok Sabha has not had a deputy speaker in seven years.

The remarks came after TMC and SP MPs staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha as a resolution for the election of nominated MP Harivansh as deputy chairman was taken up.

This is the first time a nominated MP has been appointed deputy chairman of the Upper House.

"No deputy speaker has been appointed in Lok Sabha in seven years. What was the need to rush this election in the special three day sitting when West Bengal and Tamil Nadu assembly polls are on," O'Brien said in a statement after the walkout.

Harivansh was elected deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha unopposed on Friday.

The office of the deputy chairman fell vacant after the earlier term of Harivansh, a journalist-turned-politician, ended on April 9.

TDP backs delimitation on 2011 Census, says Andhra to gain seats

TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayulu said the party supports delimitation based on the 2011 Census, arguing that Andhra Pradesh’s demographic and migration trends make it beneficial for the state.

He said that after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the state has witnessed significant out-migration, while also stabilising its population growth.

According to him, if the 2026 Census is taken as the basis for delimitation, Andhra Pradesh could lose seats. However, he said that under the formula of a uniform 50 per cent increase in seats for all states, as mentioned by the Home Minister, combined with delimitation based on the 2011 Census, Andhra Pradesh stands to gain representation.

The TDP MP added that as a regional party from southern India, the party supports both women’s reservation and the delimitation exercise.

Delimitation will turn out to be 'political demonetisation': Tharoor slams govt

Delimitation will turn out to be "political demonetisation", senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Friday while slamming the government for linking women's reservation with the expansion of Parliament.

Participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha on the three bills introduced for amendments in the women's quota law and setting up a delimitation commission, Tharoor said linking women's reservation with delimitation is to hold the aspirations of Indian women hostage to "one of the most contentious and complex" administrative exercises in the country's history.

"Today we stand at a threshold where there is near unanimous political consensus in favour of women's reservation. Every major party realises that the time for tokenism is over and the era of collective partnership must begin and yet I am finding myself deeply perturbed by the legislative exercise before us," he said.

"The prime minister says he has brought 'nari shakti' the gift of justice but he has wrapped it in barbed wire, tethering the implementation of women's reservation to the expansion of Parliament, to numbers from the 2011 census and an exercise of delimitation... Why must we entangle a moral imperative with a demographic minefield, he asked.

Women's reservation, he said, is ready for harvest and can and should be implemented immediately based on existing parliamentary strength.

"Delimitation is not a mere bureaucratic rearranging of maps, it is a profound shift in political power that is intended....Any delimitation exercise is fraught with complications that could tear at the very fabric of our federalism," he said.

"You have proposed delimitation with such haste, the same haste that you showed on demonetisation. Unfortunately, we all know what damage that did to the country. Delimitation will turn out to be political demonetisation. Don't do it," Tharoor said.

TMC MP attacks Centre over women’s quota Bills, calls it ‘assault on democracy’

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the proposed women’s reservation and delimitation-related Bills, alleging that they are a “product” of political strategy linked to electoral concerns.

He said the intention behind the Bills was delimitation and readjustment of seats, and claimed that women’s reservation had been added only to make it a sentimental issue.

Banerjee challenged the government to bring a standalone Bill reserving 33 per cent of existing seats for women, saying the Opposition would support it. He also criticised the BJP for its internal representation of women, questioning its commitment to women’s empowerment and challenging it to field 50 per cent women candidates in Uttar Pradesh.

He further objected to the timing of the legislative push, referring to the recent notification of a 2023 Act while amendments were being debated in Parliament. He alleged that this amounted to “making a mockery of Parliament” and was an “assault on democracy.”

Banerjee said the timing of the Bills was unfair, claiming they were being introduced during election activity in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, which he said disrupted campaigning. He added that such urgency would not be seen during elections in BJP-ruled states.

Raising concerns over delimitation, he said past exercises were always based on the latest Census, but the current proposal relies on the 2011 Census, which he said undermines democratic principles.

He also challenged the government to implement 50 per cent reservation for women in Parliament, Cabinet, and even the Speaker’s post, questioning whether it had the political will to do so.

Mayawati slams Cong, SP for their stance on women quota

BSP chief Mayawati on Friday accused the Congress and Samajwadi Party of changing colours like a chameleon, saying they never took any initiative for reservation of SC, ST and OBC category women during their tenure but now talk about the same.

Her remarks came amid a debate in Parliament on women quota.

In a lengthy post on X in Hindi, the former Uttar Pradesh minister said, "In the matter of constitutional/legal rights for the country's SC, ST, and OBC communities, the Congress is changing its colour like a chameleon".

"It is the same party that is now talking about these categories in women's reservation but it never took any initiative during its central government (tenure) to fulfil their reservation quotas in any sector," she said.

"Nor did it implement the 27 per cent reservation for the OBC community in government jobs and education as per the Mandal Commission report, which was eventually implemented in the government of former prime minister VP Singh," Mayawati said.

Training her guns on the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati said similarly in Uttar Pradesh, the then SP government had shelved the report of the Backward Classes Commission that came in July 1994 which was then immediately implemented by the first BSP government on June 3, 1995.

Now, the same SP is changing its colour for political interests, and is talking about giving separate reservation to their women, she charged.

Shashi Tharoor urges Centre to decouple women’s reservation from delimitation

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said there is “unanimous consensus” in favour of women’s reservation, but criticised the government for linking its implementation to the delimitation exercise, calling it a “demographic minefield.”

He said delimitation represents a “profound shift in political power” and alleged that the current approach risks holding women’s reservation “hostage” to a contentious political process.

Tharoor flagged three key fault lines arising from the proposal — the divide between northern and southern states, differences between states that have controlled population growth and those that have not, and the financial implications that could further reduce the share of southern and smaller states.

Urging the Centre to reconsider its approach, he called for women’s reservation to be decoupled from delimitation. He suggested that delimitation be discussed in detail, possibly through a Joint Parliamentary Committee, and said women’s reservation should be implemented immediately based on the current strength of the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

Kanimozhi attacks Centre over Bills, demands withdrawal and JPC probe

Kanimozhi alleged that the government does not respect the rights of states and is attempting to impose its “diktat” on southern states.

She said the government “does not believe in the rights of states” and accused it of treating southern states as entities to be governed rather than consulted. Kanimozhi demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Bills and called for them to be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

She also urged the government to convene a constitutional conclave of all chief ministers to seek their views on delimitation before proceeding further.

Kanimozhi further criticised Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for remarks made on black flag protests, saying that such demonstrations are a legitimate form of democratic expression. She said the black flag symbolises protest and invoked references to BR Ambedkar, adding that he had encouraged people to “educate, agitate and organise,” and also cited Periyar’s legacy in Tamil Nadu.

Concluding her remarks, she said the opposition to the Bills is being made “in the name of Anna, Karunanidhi and Stalin.”