District Congress Committee Beawar Raises Questions Over Centre’s Intentions in Press Conference
Beawar, April 24. In a press conference organized by the District Congress Committee Beawar, the Bharatiya Janata Party was accused of spreading misinformation and creating confusion over women’s reservation for political gains. Congress leaders said the party has played a historic and decisive role in women’s empowerment and ensuring political representation for women, while the BJP is trying to use the issue for electoral benefit.
During the press conference, Congress stated that the credit for initiating women’s reservation goes to the Congress. The first Women’s Reservation Bill was introduced in Parliament in 1996 during the H.D. Deve Gowda government with Congress support. Later, in 2010, the UPA government got the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha. Congress also highlighted that through the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, it ensured 33 percent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj and Urban
Local Bodies, giving a new direction to women’s empowerment.
Congress leaders said that while the party supported the Nari Shakti Vandan Act passed in 2023 and demanded its immediate implementation, the Central Government linked it to census and delimitation, depriving women of immediate benefits. Congress alleged that despite receiving Presidential assent in 2023, the BJP government issued the notification only on the night of April 16, 2026, implementing it after three years, raising serious questions over its intent.
The Congress said the BJP is making baseless allegations against Congress and opposition parties on women’s reservation, even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sought political mileage when the bill was passed in 2023. It alleged that BJP convened a special Parliament session amid elections in three states and attempted to link women’s reservation with delimitation despite delimitation not being necessary for implementing reservation.
Congress leaders further alleged that through delimitation, BJP wants to redraw the political map of the country for its own benefit. Citing arbitrary delimitation in Rajasthan’s urban local bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions, as well as examples from Assam and Jammu & Kashmir, Congress claimed BJP is misusing delimitation for political gains.
The press conference also questioned using the 2011 Census as the basis for women’s reservation and delimitation while delaying caste census, stating it compromises the interests of OBC communities. Congress reiterated that linking women’s reservation to delimitation is misleading, as reservation has been implemented in Panchayats and Urban Bodies even without delimitation in the past.
Congress demanded that the Women’s Reservation law passed in 2023 be implemented immediately on the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats and not be linked to delimitation. It also called for timely completion of caste census to ensure adequate representation for OBC women.
Targeting BJP’s claims on women’s empowerment, Congress said BJP does not provide adequate representation to women in its organization or election tickets. It pointed out that BJP has never had a woman national president, while Congress elected a woman national president over 110 years ago. Examples such as Annie Besant, Sarojini Naidu, Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were cited as proof of Congress’ commitment.
Congress also said India’s first woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, first woman President Pratibha Patil and first woman Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar were all Congress contributions. In contrast, it alleged BJP is turning women’s reservation into another political slogan while diverting attention from inflation, unemployment and farmers’ issues.
Congress leaders asserted that women’s reservation is a right of women, not a political favor, and said the party would continue raising the issue from the streets to Parliament until it is implemented immediately.
Those present at the press conference included District In-charge and State General Secretary Pratishtha Yadav, District President Kishore Chaudhary, former MLA Rakesh Parik, Beawar candidate Parsmal Jain, State President of Mining Cell Ashishpal Padawat, former Chairperson Shanti Dabla, former Chairperson Parvati Jagrat, Mahila Congress State General Secretary Advocate Sulakshana Sharma, Women District President Ishika Jain, former candidate Manoj Chauhan, Block President Advocate Ajay Sharma along with several senior Congress leaders and workers.
