| Staff REPORTER |
Itanagar, Apr 20: The Arunachal Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee (APMCC) on Monday clarified that the Congress party supports the Women’s Reservation Act (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) but opposes its linkage with the delimitation process.
Speaking to reporters at the Arunachal Press Club, APMCC president Chukhu Nachi said that Congress had fully supported the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament in 2023. However, she alleged that the central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had delayed its implementation by tying it to the delimitation exercise.
Refuting claims that Congress opposed the reservation measure, Nachi said the party is in favour of immediate implementation of the Act. She added that Congress and its allies objected only to the delimitation aspect, not the reservation itself.
"During the discussions held in Parliament on April 16 and 17, the Congress and its alliance did not oppose the Women’s Reservation Act but opposed the delimitation process. We are not anti-women. Congress voted against the delimitation process but not against implementation of Women’s Reservation Act. In fact, we are demanding its immediate implementation without linking it to the delimitation aspect,” she said.
She further alleged that the delay in implementation raises questions about the intent of the ruling dispensation and claimed that electoral considerations could be a factor, mentioning that implementation may impact the prospects of certain BJP leaders, including state MPs Kiren Rijiju and Tapir Gao.