New Delhi, April 16 (NationPress) A tense confrontation took place in the Lok Sabha on Thursday as Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP), challenged the government's rush to pass the Women's Reservation Bill. He expressed concerns regarding the lack of a recent Census, accusing the government of sidestepping a caste-based enumeration.

This discussion arose as the Central government presented the Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, representing a crucial legislative initiative during the current special session of Parliament.

During the debate, Akhilesh Yadav stated, "What is the hurry for the women's reservation? Shouldn't we prioritize the Census first?" He made it clear that while his party supports women's reservation in principle, it stands against its implementation through delimitation.

He further accused the government of intentionally postponing the Census to evade demands for a caste census and broader reservation policies.

Yadav remarked, "The delay in the Census is strategic; once it occurs, we will demand a caste-based census, which they are keen to avoid."

In response to these accusations, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the Census process has already commenced, promising that a caste-based Census would follow.

Shah emphasized, "The Census is underway nationwide, and we will also conduct a caste-based census afterward. Currently, the House Listing is in progress; homes do not belong to a specific caste. If the SP had its way, it would assign castes to homes as well. I assure the House that the Census will include a caste census too," he remarked, addressing the opposition.

Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav expressed strong opposition to the three proposed Bills on constitutional grounds, alleging they aim to "distort" the Constitution, especially by detaching delimitation from the Census process.

On behalf of the SP, he stated that the party would not endorse the Women's Reservation Bill unless it incorporates provisions for Other Backward Classes and Muslim women. He also urged the government to retract the proposed Bills and instead implement the law passed in 2023.

Amit Shah maintained that reservations based on religion are unconstitutional. "Any form of reservation for Muslims based on religion is not permissible under the Constitution," he asserted.

In response, Akhilesh Yadav inquired whether the Muslim demographic is excluded from the 50 percent reservation threshold, pressing the government for clarification on its stance.

Shah replied, "We are not preventing the Samajwadi Party from allocating all their tickets to Muslim women."

The debate intensified before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla intervened, advising members to avoid such direct confrontational exchanges and to uphold decorum during the discussions.