Akhilesh Yadav Critiques BJP's Women's Reservation Bill: A Hidden Agenda?
Akhilesh Yadav's Stance on Women's Reservation
Lucknow: On Wednesday, Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, expressed his support for women's reservation but criticized the BJP for allegedly pursuing it with ulterior motives that neglect the interests of women from backward classes and avoid conducting a caste-based census.
His comments were made just before a three-day special session of Parliament, where the women's quota and delimitation bills are set to be discussed. The BJP in Uttar Pradesh is also promoting awareness regarding the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, commonly referred to as the Women’s Reservation Act.
In a post on X, Yadav, who leads the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha, stated, 'We back women's reservation but reject the BJP's deceptive tactics, which appear to be part of a larger conspiracy.'
He accused the ruling party and its allies of failing to ensure adequate representation for women from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), who constitute a significant portion of the population.
Yadav emphasized, 'The BJP and its allies are ignoring the largest demographic—backward class women.'
Questioning the urgency behind the initiative, he suggested that the rush to amend the law is actually a strategy to avoid a census, which would necessitate sharing caste-wise data and could lead to caste-based reservations.
The Kannauj MP described this as a significant conspiracy to deny rights to backward communities by dismissing delimitation based on census data, advocating for political parties to have the flexibility to implement reservations according to proportional representation.
'This is a covert plan by 'secret individuals' against democracy, which cannot be accepted without reforms in the process,' he remarked.
Earlier in the day, Yadav intensified his criticism, claiming that the BJP's urgency regarding the women's reservation bill reflects political desperation.
He argued that the party is trying to sidestep a nationwide census, which could trigger demands for caste enumeration and broader reservations—something the BJP and its allies are reluctant to accept.
Referring to the SP's 'PDA' (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) platform, he noted that 'A' also stands for 'aadhi abaadi' (half the population), referring to women, and accused the bill of being part of a broader scheme to undermine their rights.
Yadav, whose wife Dimple Yadav is also a Lok Sabha MP from Mainpuri, pointed out that rising inflation and economic challenges have disproportionately impacted women, affecting household budgets and access to necessities.
He highlighted issues related to education and employment, asserting that women are among the most adversely affected under the current administration.
He urged the government to engage directly with women from impacted communities, including workers and families, before advancing such legislation, stressing that the concerns of everyday women must be prioritized for any policy to be effective.