New Delhi: Opposition members in the Lok Sabha on Thursday (April 16) accused the government of attempting to alter the electoral map of India using women’s reservation as a ruse as it raised objections to the three bills brought by the Union government to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850, and operationalise 33% quota for women in the lower house and state legislatures through two accompanying bills on delimitation and union territories.Opposition MPs said that the government move to move to tie in operationalising women’s reservation with increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha and delimitation “smells of politics” and referred to the recent delimitation exercises in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam to say that if it was serious about implementing 33% quota for women, it should be brought now with the Lok Sabha’s current strength.Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi, who opened the discussion for the opposition, said that while they support women’s reservations, the government is using it to bring delimitation through the back door.“You (government) do politics in everything – you do symbolism. This is a back door Bill for delimitation, not women’s reservation. You have put a label of women’s reservation on this delimitation,” he said.Gogoi referred to the delimitation exercise in Assam and said that it had been done in such a manner that neither citizens nor administrative efficiency has been benefited.“In Assam, one Lok Sabha seat has 14 lakh voters and one has 26 lakh voters. Whose benefit is being seen? It cannot be of the people. Because a Lok Sabha constituency of 26 lakh people cannot be beneficial administratively or for governance. In one Panchayat constituency, there are 10 wards. One ward is in one Vidhan Sabha, another Vidhan Sabha has two, while another has three. This is the delimitation that has been done,” he said.“This is what is called gerrymandering in the US. It is complete political exploitation. Besides administrative efficiency there should be geographical continuity, but now there are constituencies which are divided by hills. Now what they have done in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir the government wants to do in the rest of the country. You are using women in the name of women’s reservations.”AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi also referred to the delimitation exercise in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir and accused the government of attempting to bring in gerrymandering.“In Assam, 30 MPs would come from Muslim dominated regions but that got reduced to 23 under delimitation. If this is not gerrymandering then what is? In Anantnag Rajouri, the constituency begins in Jammu and ends in Kashmir. Is this not gerrymandering?” he asked.Owaisi also questioned why the government was not writing in the bill that there will be a 50% increase in all states, but only making statements in the House. He referred to Golwalkar’s Bunch of Thoughts, where he sought “One Country, One State, One Legislature, One Executive” and said that the government is moving to end federalism.Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned why the 50% increase of seats per state is being proposed in speeches but has not been written into the text of the bill, and also asked why the government cannot implement the 33% reservation in the existing 543 seats of the Lok Sabha, without delimitation or using 2011 Census as the base.“This seems fine on the surface but the real meaning comes to the fore when one carefully reads it. It smells of politics,” she said.“The government began finishing off democracy by putting pressure on institutions, such as the Election Commission, the judiciary, the media, but now, an open attack on democracy is being launched.”Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said that the government was using “naari” (women) as a “naara” (slogan) and using delimitation to change the electoral map of the country. Yadav said that his party wants the census to be conducted first, following which delimitation can be done.“What if they don’t count OBCs and Muslims in half of the population which are women? We want Muslim and OBC women to get reservation,” he said.Yadav also opposed the rotation of seats provided in the constitutional amendment to implement women reservation.“They are running away from the census because the demand for caste census will rise, following which demand for reservations will rise,” he said.TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that the bills are being brought in disguise to alter the election process.“We are doubting their purpose and intent for doing this in the middle of elections… women’s reservation is a disguise to alter the election process and harm democracy,” she said.She also questioned why the government did not bring the bills during the budget session which concluded last month, and convened a special session now but did not heed to the opposition’s demand for a special session following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.“Why didn’t the government bring these bills earlier, but decided to bring them when elections are underway in different states?” she asked.Congress MP K.C. Venugopal and Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju exchanged heated words after the former accused the government’s intention to bring in the bills during the ongoing assembly elections.“What would happen if you convened this session after ten days? I am questioning your intention,” said Venugopal.Rijiju then rose to say that all other opposition parties met him but Congress party only wrote letters.“What stopped you from coming and meeting us?”Venugopal said that delimitation should be brought separately from the constitutional amendment bill.“You decided you have to win in 2029 (Lok Sabha election). In the present scenario, that cannot happen. The only escape route is delimitation, like Assam and Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.“But people are very intelligent. You withdraw this bill. Come with a concrete idea, all-party meeting. We will give you suggestions, then pass the bill unanimously. Don’t think you can fool everyone. You are cheating the women of this country,” he said.