New Delhi: Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday had a telephonic conversation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to seek support for the passage of the women’s reservation and delimitation bill but the leader of opposition insisted on convening an all-party meeting on the proposed legislation, sources aware of the matter said.
This was the second time in the last couple of days that the parliamentary affairs minister spoke with the leader of opposition (LoP) on the phone. The minister also met him twice in the last 10 days for smooth functioning of the House.
“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 sources said when Rijiju sought Congress support for the passage of the women’s reservation and delimitation bill, Gandhi insisted on the government convening an all-party meeting on the proposed legislation.
The parliamentary affairs minister, however, did not give any commitment on convening the all-party meeting on the bill, the sources said.
The sources said the government is trying for a consensus on the women’s reservation and delimitation bill.
Referring to his call to Gandhi, 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 said.
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.
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. It is reaching out to the principal opposition party Congress and NDA allies, 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.
The minister has also sounded out the ruling NDA’s coalition partners about the government’s fresh initiative on the proposed legislation under which Lok Sabha seats will be increased to 816 from the current 543 to “operationalise” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in the assemblies of states and Union Territories to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
The sources said that attempts are being made by the floor managers of the government for reintroduction of the bill, with some tweaks to the earlier bill 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.
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.
Last time, a three-day special sitting was convened from April 16 to 18 for getting Parliament’s approval to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill. It was for the first time that a bill under the Modi government was defeated in Parliament.
The government may include a clause in the fresh bill that existing Lok Sabha seats in each state will be increased by 50 per cent, irrespective of its population size.
