Congress Accuses Government of Violating Election Code with Special Session for Women's Reservation Bill
Congress Raises Concerns Over Upcoming Special Session
On Wednesday, the Congress party asserted that the government is planning to convene a two-day special session of Parliament within the next fortnight to amend the Women's Reservation Act, which they claim would breach the election code of conduct. Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh made these allegations, stating that the Election Commission has transformed the model code of conduct into what he termed the 'Modi Code of Conduct.'
Assembly elections are scheduled next month in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry.
Ramesh shared on 'X', "The inauguration of the new Parliament building in September 2023 was marked by the passage of the Nari Vandan Act, 2023, which amended the Constitution to provide one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, along with one-third reservation for women in seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. These reservations were to be implemented after the completion of the delimitation and census processes."
He noted that during discussions on the Nari Vandan Bill, Congress had requested that its implementation be postponed until after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. According to Ramesh, the Modi government had previously stated that such implementation was not feasible without completing the delimitation and census.
He claimed that now, the 'master of flip-flops' has suddenly changed his stance after 30 months, wanting to implement reservations without completing the necessary processes. Ramesh remarked, "The Prime Minister is adept at diverting public attention. He has done this multiple times before and is doing it again. This new initiative is a distraction from his failures in foreign policy and the ongoing LPG and energy crises in the country."
He further stated that to gain political advantage, the Prime Minister has announced that a two-day special session will be called next fortnight to pass the necessary amendments to the Nari Vandan Act, 2023.
Ramesh mentioned that opposition parties have written to the Modi government requesting a multi-party meeting after the current round of assembly elections concludes on April 29, to discuss the proposed amendments. The Modi government is also planning to increase the number of Lok Sabha and assembly seats by up to 50%, which requires serious deliberation.
The Congress leader accused the Election Commission of turning the model code of conduct into a Modi propaganda code. He stated, "Calling a two-day special session in April would violate the code of conduct but would align with the Modi Code of Conduct." Ramesh raised concerns about the Modi government's genuine commitment to conducting the caste census announced for April 2025, especially after Congress leaders were labeled as having an 'urban naxal mindset' for raising this demand during the Bharat Jodo Justice Yatra and the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.