‘Reservation based on religion unconstitutional’: Amit Shah, Akhilesh Yadav clash in Lok Sabha over delimitation issue

New Delhi: Fierce debate breaks out between home ministers Amit Shah and sajwadi party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav A special parliamentary session was held on Thursday to discuss the Constitution Bill, Union Territory Act and Delimitation Bill.Addressing the Lok Sabha, Yadav slammed the Center for introducing the Women’s Reservation Bill with “urgency” without updating the census and accused the government of avoiding a caste-based census. “Why is the Center rushing for women’s reservation? We are in favor, but why don’t you want a census? Start with the census first,” Yadav said. He maintained that the SP supported women’s reservation in principle but opposed its implementation through delimitation.“They are delaying the census because when it happens, we will demand a caste-based census and they don’t want it,” he added.Reacting to this, Shah said that the census process has begun and the government also plans to include caste-based census in it.“The census process has been started across the country and after that we will also conduct a caste-based census. Currently, the list of houses is in progress; the houses do not belong to a caste. If the SP goes well, it will also assign a caste to the houses. I want to assure the House that the census will also be conducted along with the caste-based census,” Shah said, lashing out at the opposition.Calling reservation on the basis of religion unconstitutional, Shah said, “Any form of reservation for Muslims on the basis of religion is unconstitutional. To this, Yadav questioned whether Muslim women exceeded the 50 per cent reservation limit. “Will Muslim women, who constitute half of the population, also get separate reservation?” Yadav asked.“We will not stop the Samajwadi Party from giving all tickets to Muslim women,” Shah reacted. Discussions became increasingly tense as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged members to maintain decorum during the meeting.

Why is the opposition protesting against the Women’s Reservation Bill? The answer lies in the Delimitation Act

Under the constitutional amendment, it is proposed to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha from 543 to a maximum of 850 to implement the women’s reservation law before the 2029 general elections. The expansion will follow demarcation exercises based on the 2011 Census.The proposed legislation seeks to realign the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha, state and union territory legislative assemblies, while redrawing territorial constituencies across the country. This work is based on population-related revisions using 2011 Census data.The bill frames delimitation as part of a broader political reform that could change the size and composition of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, including a proposal to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850.However, the proposal has faced opposition, with several political parties expressing concerns about its impact on representation and the implications of relying on the 2011 Census for such a significant restructure.