Rahul Gandhi and Kiren Rijiju Clash Over Women's Reservation

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi engaged in a public dispute over the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which reserves 33 percent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The conflict began after Gandhi released a video arguing that India remains stunted without the expression of women and their freedom from patriarchal control.

Rijiju characterized Gandhi's remarks as a visible change of heart and challenged the Indian National Congress to support the bill unconditionally. Gandhi responded by asserting that the Congress party had already passed the Women's Reservation Bill 2023 unanimously and demanded its immediate implementation without conditions. He specifically criticized the government's decision to link the reservation to a delimitation exercise that would alter the number of seats in the Lok Sabha.

Rijiju defended the link, stating the 2023 law requires delimitation based on census figures published after 2026. He warned that without an early delimitation exercise using current census data—a measure previously proposed in the failed Constitution 131st Amendment Bill of 2026—the reservation could be delayed until the 2034 general elections. Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar joined the fray, criticizing Rijiju and asserting that Congress piloted the reservation efforts. The opposition continues to demand that the government delink the reservation from the delimitation process.