A sharp exchange broke out between Amit Shah and Akhilesh Yadav in the Lok Sabha over Muslim women reservation India, caste census, and the women’s reservation-linked delimitation bill.
Debate Over Women’s Reservation and Delimitation Bill
The debate took place during discussions on three bills that the government said are necessary to implement 33% reservation for women. The Centre plans to take up these bills in the Parliament of India over three days. However, Opposition leaders raised concerns and said the proposed legislation carries serious political and constitutional implications.
Akhilesh Yadav Demands Muslim Women Quota, Caste Census
During the debate,Akhilesh Yadav argued that Muslim women reservation India should be addressed through a separate quota under the proposed framework.. He also questioned the timing of the move and urged the government to prioritise the census.
“Why is the Centre rushing for women’s reservation? Start with the Census first,” Yadav said.
He further alleged that the government is delaying the census to avoid demands for a caste-based count.
“When the census happens, we will demand a caste census and raise the issue of reservation. You want to do dhokha with us,” he added.
Amit Shah Responds on Census and Reservation
Responding to the criticism, Amit Shah said the government has already initiated the census process and will also conduct a caste-based census.
He said the house listing exercise is currently underway and clarified that caste enumeration will follow.
“The census process has started across the country, and we will conduct a caste-based census. House listing is underway… I assure the House that the census will include caste data,” Shah said.
Shah firmly rejected the demand for religion-based reservation, stating that such provisions would violate constitutional principles. He said granting reservation to Muslims on religious grounds is not acceptable under the Constitution.
Shah said Akhilesh Yadav was free to allot all tickets of the Samajwadi Party to Muslim women, asserting that his party had no objection. He added, “SP can give all its tickets to Muslim women; we have no objection,” while questioning the party’s position on quota politics.
Hitting back at Amit Shah, Akhilesh Yadav called the home minister’s remarks undemocratic. He referred to Muslim women as half the population and questioned whether Muslim women are not a part of the population.
