On September 24, former Union law minister Kapil Sibal criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, claiming the earliest the women’s reservation could be implemented was for the 2034 Lok Sabha elections.
He also asserted that it was introduced with a view on the impending Lok Sabha and state elections.
Sibal made the comments as part of his brand-new ‘Dil Se’ project, in which he would speak with a journalist about significant subjects every two weeks.
In the first episode he shared on social media, Sibal fielded inquiries about the women’s reservation bill, the controversy surrounding BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s disparaging statements against BSP MP Danish Ali, and his opinions on the new Parliament building.
In response to Bidhuri’s remarks, Sibal declared that the BJP MP needed to be “expelled” from parliament.
I have worked in parliament for 30 years, and I have never witnessed this. Never saw such profanity and vitriol, and the person presiding even startled and shocked me when they claimed that they would review the record before deleting it. Simply put, I don’t get it,” Sibal remarked.
Sibal commented about Bidhuri, “People like this should be expelled from Parliament.”
Imagine what would have happened and what the presiding officer would have done if a member of that community (of Danish Ali’s) had carried out a similar act, Sibal remarked.
“That is the kind of venom we have built in the society, where people of a particular community can say anything and get away with it,” added Sibal.
Sibal expressed his doubts over the government’s sincerity in trying to pass the women’s reservation bill right away.
“Had they been genuine in 2014, it would have been done,” he said.
On being asked when the bill could come into effect, Sibal said, “Not in 2029. I will tell you why. The last delimitation was done in 1976… then we had the 84th constitutional amendment which said that we will have a freeze on delimitation. Now 2026, if you start doing a census, as you know it is a huge exercise, we have over 1.4 billion people, it will take one to one and half years,” he said.
“Not only that, if you are going to include caste which is going to be the demand of a large section of north India I don’t think the BJP will be able to resist that demand because if they resist that demand, they are going to lose the election, it would take much longer,” he added.
He stated that delimitation was a lengthy and massive task, emphasising that the earliest potential reserve for women was 2034.
Sibal responded, “Without a doubt,” when asked if the measure had been introduced with the state and Lok Sabha elections in mind. Why would they hold a special session to do this in 2023?
“The government has not answered that in parliament. The question to be asked is that the Prime Minister and the law minister should explain why they did not do it in 2014, there is no answer,” he said.
“Why now, I feel there is a general fatigue that has set in as far as this government is concerned and I think they want to catch some issue that will take them to the 2024 elections, this is one of them,” he said.
He stated that delimitation was a lengthy and massive task, emphasising that the earliest potential reserve for women was 2034.
Sibal responded, “Without a doubt,” when asked if the measure had been introduced with the state and Lok Sabha elections in mind. Why would they hold a special session to do this in 2023?
“The government has not answered that in parliament. The question to be asked is that the Prime Minister and the law minister should explain why they did not do it in 2014, there is no answer,” he said.
“Why now, I feel there is a general fatigue that has set in as far as this government is concerned and I think they want to catch some issue that will take them to the 2024 elections, this is one of them,” he said.
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