Rahul Gandhi Alleges Govt Misusing Census for Women’s Reservation, Flags Delimitation Concerns

New Delhi, April 2026 : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government, accusing it of attempting to use outdated census data to push the Women’s Reservation framework while ignoring the ongoing caste-based enumeration.

In a post on X, Gandhi alleged that the government’s approach had little to do with genuine women’s empowerment and instead amounted to a political manoeuvre. “What the government is proposing now has nothing to do with women’s reservation. This amendment is an attempted power grab using delimitation and gerrymandering,” he said.

The remarks come just ahead of the extended Budget Session of Parliament, where amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 and a proposed delimitation Bill are expected to be taken up for discussion. These measures are aimed at facilitating one-third reservation for women in Parliament, a reform that had earlier received unanimous approval across political parties.

Reiterating his party’s stance, Gandhi said the Congress fully supports women’s reservation but raised concerns about the methodology being adopted. He argued that the use of the 2011 Census data—rather than updated figures from a fresh or caste-based census—would distort representation, particularly for historically marginalised communities.

In a video message accompanying his post, Gandhi described the issue as critical for backward classes, Dalits, tribal communities, and women, emphasising that it directly impacts their participation in governance. He alleged that the public was being misled about the intent behind the proposed changes.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi claimed that the government was deliberately avoiding the use of updated caste data. “The Prime Minister does not want this decision to be based on a caste census, a new census, or an OBC census. Instead, he wants to rely on the 2011 Census, where the data on backward classes is incomplete,” he said.

Gandhi further argued that such an approach would effectively reduce the political representation of backward communities by not reflecting their actual population. “If a new census is underway and an OBC census is being talked about, then why is that data not being used for implementing women’s reservation?” he questioned.

He went on to describe the decision to bypass caste-based data as not only unjust but also “anti-national,” alleging that it undermines the principles of equitable representation. According to him, ignoring updated demographic realities would deny fair participation to large sections of society.

The Congress leader also expressed strong reservations about the proposed delimitation exercise, warning that it could disproportionately impact certain regions. He cautioned that states in southern and northeastern India, as well as smaller states, might see a reduction in their representation if the exercise is carried out without adequate safeguards.

“If this happens, the representation of southern and northeastern states will be reduced. I consider this an anti-national move,” Gandhi said, underlining the broader federal implications of the proposal.

He concluded by asserting that his party would oppose any attempt to dilute the representation of marginalised communities or regions. “We will not allow ‘Hissa Chori’ from OBC, Dalit, and Adivasi communities by ignoring caste census data. Nor will we allow unfair treatment of southern, northeastern, northwestern, or smaller states,” he said.

As Parliament prepares to debate these contentious issues, Gandhi’s remarks signal a sharp political confrontation over representation, census data, and the future framework of women’s reservation in India.