UPA-era census used for delimitation, so why object? Smriti Irani to opposition

New Delhi,UPDATED: Apr 16, 2026 23:54 IST

BJP leader Smriti Irani was at her combative best as she tore into the opposition, accusing it of flip-flopping on women’s reservation and delimitation as Parliament debated key bills on the issue.

In an interview with India Today TV’s Rajdeep Sardesai, Irani rejected the Congress-led opposition’s allegations that the government was bulldozing the twin legislations to redraw India’s political map and win elections.

“When was representation, which is to be assured by Parliament to women of this country, divorced from the reality of delimitation?” she asked.

Smriti Irani said the government’s position has remained unchanged since 2023, when Parliament cleared the Women’s Reservation Bill mandating one-third quota for women. She noted that the rollout was always tied to the completion of a census and subsequent delimitation exercise, accusing the opposition of a volte-face.

On criticism over the timing of the move -- just ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu – Smriti Irani dismissed the charge.

“It is an insult to the intelligence of the voters of these states if they can be so swayed,” she said. “There isn't a month in our country where we do not celebrate our democracy or do not have some form or the other of an election.”

The ex-Union Minister cast doubt on the opposition’s intent, questioning what's to stop them from stalling again. “What is the guarantee then the opposition does not stand up and say, ‘Let this election go through’?”

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have alleged that by linking the implementation of women's quota and delimitation, the government’s intent is electoral gains rather than genuine empowerment of women. They contend that it could alter the balance of power among states.

Under the proposed plan, delimitation would be conducted using 2011 Census data, with the total number of Lok Sabha seats set to increase to 850 after a 50 per cent expansion. Constituency boundaries would be redrawn accordingly.

Opposition leaders argue that a population-based exercise using 2011 data would disadvantage southern states, shifting political weight toward the Hindi heartland. They have said they would ease their resistance if the women’s quota is delinked from delimitation.

Smriti Irani countered by pointing out that the data being used for the delimitation exercise stems from the UPA era.

“So if this government is showing faith in a census which was undertaken by a Congress-led government, I do not know why then the opposition hankers so,” she jibed.

Irani also questioned why the Congress sat on the women’s quota bill for 30 years. “Why didn’t the Congress led UPA pass it in the Lok Sabha, where it had the numbers -- especially when it knew that the BJP in opposition were supporting it in the Rajya Sabha? If this genuinely was the opposition’s intent, why didn’t the UPA pass it in the Lok Sabha?”

She ended with a caustic barb at the opposition. “Their fear is that they are already unpopular. There will be opportunities for them to be unpopular even more.”

- Ends