New Delhi, April 15 (NationPress) - Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, criticized the BJP-led Central government on Wednesday. He accused them of utilizing data from the 2011 census to advance the Women's Reservation Bill, instead of the ongoing caste-based census currently taking place in the nation.

"What the government is proposing now is unrelated to women’s reservation. This amendment represents a power grab through delimitation and gerrymandering," Gandhi expressed in a post on X.

His remarks were made a day prior to the Parliament's extended Budget Session, where discussions around amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, and a proposed delimitation Bill are anticipated to ensure one-third reservation for women in Parliament.

Gandhi emphasized that the Congress party "strongly endorses Women’s Reservation," highlighting that the Bill was unanimously passed in Parliament in 2023.

Alongside his post, he shared a video message, emphasizing the significance of the matter for disadvantaged groups including the backward classes, Dalits, tribal communities, and women. "It is about your involvement," he remarked.

The LoP claimed that the public is being misled. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not want the decision regarding Women's Reservation to be based on the Caste census or the new OBC census. He prefers to rely on the 2011 Census, which does not account for the numbers of backward classes," he asserted in the video.

He further alleged that the participation of backward classes is being undermined, accusing the BJP of intentionally excluding individuals from these communities from gaining representation according to their actual population.

"We assert that the new census is underway, and while they (BJP) claim that the OBC census is being conducted, why isn’t that data being utilized for the Women's Reservation Bill?" Gandhi questioned.

Moreover, he labeled the refusal to use the caste-based census as "anti-national."

"This is not only a disservice to backward classes but constitutes an anti-national act," he stated.

Regarding the proposed delimitation Bill, he mentioned: "If this proceeds, representation from states in the south and north-east will diminish. I view this as an anti-national endeavor."

"We will not permit the ‘Hissa Chori’ from OBC, Dalit, and Adivasi communities while disregarding caste census data. Additionally, we will not allow Southern, North Eastern, North Western, and smaller states to be treated unjustly," he emphasized in his communication.