Special session on women’s quota in Parliament: Jairam releases Kharge letters to Rijiju – The Tribune

The Congress on Saturday released a series of letters exchanged between Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on social media, sharpening the political row over the Centre’s decision to convene a special session of Parliament on the women’s reservation law.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who made the correspondence public on X, said the letters “lay bare the background” to what he described as a unilateral decision by the Centre to call a special session at a time when election campaigning in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal is at its peak.

The exchange showed that Kharge, on March 16, wrote to Rijiju seeking an all-party meeting chaired by the Prime Minister to discuss the roadmap for implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023.

He reiterated the demand on March 24, suggesting that such a meeting be held after April 29, once the current round of Assembly elections concludes, and asked the Centre to circulate a detailed note on the proposed constitutional changes.

Kharge’s letter also flagged reports that the government was considering a further amendment to the Constitution relating to the women’s quota law, arguing that wider consultations were necessary to ensure clarity and consensus.

Responding on March 26, Rijiju said the Centre was committed to the “effective and timely implementation” of the law, but cautioned that convening an all-party meeting at this stage could delay the process.

He underlined that the implementation involves multiple steps, including delimitation, which are “time-consuming”, and warned that any delay could impact the rollout timeline linked to the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Rijiju also noted that consultations with political parties were already underway and urged the Opposition to support the process, calling it a “collective endeavour” to ensure women’s representation in legislatures.

In a follow-up communication the same day, Kharge questioned the “haste” in pushing ahead with further amendments nearly 30 months after the original legislation was passed. He reiterated that the Opposition was not opposed to the law but insisted that discussions should take place after the election cycle, maintaining that this would not affect implementation timelines.

Ramesh, citing the correspondence, said the Centre’s move to call a special session without wider consultation during an active election period raised questions over intent. He alleged that the timing was aimed at securing political advantage rather than building consensus on a significant constitutional measure.