Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday criticised the government for tying the implementation of women's reservation to the proposed delimitation exercise and expansion of Parliament, urging that the quota be rolled out immediately.
Speaking during a Lok Sabha debate on proposed amendments to the women's reservation framework and the creation of a delimitation commission, Tharoor argued that the move risks delaying a long-awaited reform.
He described the linkage as placing a “moral imperative” at the mercy of a complicated administrative process.
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“The prime minister has presented this as a gift to nari shakti, but wrapped it in barbed wire by tethering it to delimitation and census-linked seat expansion,” Tharoor said, in an apparent swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Calling for the two issues to be separated, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said his party would support the women's reservation bill if implemented under the current parliamentary structure.
“Let it take effect in the next general election… show that the commitment is not mere rhetoric,” he said.
Tharoor cautioned that delimitation — the redrawing of constituency boundaries — is among the most contentious exercises in India's governance framework and requires extensive consultations.
He proposed deferring the process and instead constituting a joint parliamentary committee to build consensus on a new federal balance.
Warning of deeper political consequences, he likened the proposed exercise to the economic shock of demonetisation.
“Delimitation will turn out to be political demonetisation. Don't do it,” he said.
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The Congress MP also flagged potential fault lines, including disparities between northern and southern states, population-based representation, and concerns that economically stronger but demographically smaller states could be sidelined.
He questioned the government's informal assurance that no state would lose seats, calling it a “precarious political promise” lacking constitutional backing.
“Such assurances can be altered by a simple majority and offer no long-term guarantee,” he said.
Tharoor further raised structural concerns about expanding the Lok Sabha without a corresponding increase in the Rajya Sabha's strength, warning it could upset the balance between the two Houses, particularly during joint sittings and in presidential elections.
Emphasising broad political consensus on women's reservation, Tharoor said the reform is “ready for implementation” and should not be delayed by what he termed a “demographic minefield.”
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