‘Implement women’s reservation, why wait for delimitation?’:Kharge says PM uses Rijiju to respond to Oppn, as he does Gyanesh Kumar

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the government’s stance on women’s reservation, delimitation and electoral reforms in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, on Wednesday. Kharge said the Congress was not fighting for power, but to protect democracy and the Constitution. He said, “The government can implement 33% reservation for women immediately based on the existing number of Lok Sabha seats. What is the need to wait for delimitation?” He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of defaming the Opposition. Commenting on Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Kharge said, “The Prime Minister does not personally reply to letters from Opposition leaders, but has replies sent through others. The PM has not given Rijiju real authority. He is using him as an intermediary, like Gyanesh Kumar.” Kharge’s three key demands 1. Replace EVMs with ballot papers: Kharge demanded that elections be conducted using ballot papers instead of EVMs and that monitoring be strengthened to prevent irregularities in electoral rolls. He said free and fair elections were essential and that the Constitution did not mandate a victory for the Congress or any other party. He said the Congress was fighting to protect democracy and the Constitution. 2. Opposition consultation on the delimitation Bill: Kharge alleged that in April 2026, the government tried to introduce a constitutional amendment Bill related to delimitation at short notice and without the Opposition’s consent. He demanded consultations with all parties and an all-party meeting before major constitutional changes. 3. Repeal legal protection for election commissioners: Kharge demanded the removal of Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which provides election commissioners with legal protection in certain matters related to their official duties. He alleged that this reduced their accountability and called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s removal, restoration of the previous system and stronger monitoring of changes to electoral rolls. Rijiju said the government had contacted the Opposition several times Three Bills related to increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats could not be passed on 17 April after failing to secure the required two-thirds majority. Kharge had written to the Prime Minister on 11 April, 16 July, 27 August and 16 October 2026 on the issue. In his reply to Kharge’s letter on 19 October, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government had contacted the Opposition several times to discuss the proposal. He said he had written to Kharge on 16 March, 26 March and 12 April, seeking the Congress’s support. Rijiju also said he had held a one-to-one discussion with Kharge and met Rahul Gandhi during the Monsoon Session. Kharge questions Modi and Shah over Manipur violence Kharge also targeted the Union government over fresh violence in Manipur. In a post on X, he condemned the killing of four innocent civilians in the state and raised three questions for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Jairam Ramesh targets government over PM-DAKSH scheme Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticised the Union government over alleged shortcomings in the implementation of the PM-DAKSH scheme. Sharing a media report on X, he alleged that the scheme was not properly implemented for two years and that the budget allocated for it was left unused. Launched in 2020-21, the PM-DAKSH scheme aims to provide skill training to Scheduled Castes, OBCs, economically weaker sections, Denotified and Nomadic Tribes, and sanitation workers to help them secure jobs or start their own businesses. Ramesh alleged that the government focused on advertisements and headlines rather than implementing schemes on the ground. Taking a dig at the government, he said its “expiry date” was approaching and “it is time to pack up and leave”. He also asked whether the BJP government was taking revenge on disadvantaged communities after the party was reduced to 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.