New Delhi

All India Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien on Wednesday alleged that the government was pursuing a “devious plot” to bring in delimitation under the cover of women’s reservation.

His remarks came a day before the three-day special sitting of Parliament of India, during which the women’s quota and delimitation bills are expected to be taken up.

In a post on X, the TMC Rajya Sabha leader also shared an old video of party chief and Mamata Banerjee highlighting her long-standing demand for reservation for women.

Targeting Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, O’Brien alleged that the government was using women’s reservation as a pretext.

“Delimitation is the devious agenda. Women, their excuse,” he said, adding that the ruling dispensation had “never cared a fig about women.”

He further accused the government of mocking the Constitution, Parliament and the women of the country.

Referring to a speech by Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha nearly three decades ago, O’Brien quoted her as saying that the House should specify the date, information and timeframe for introducing the Women’s Reservation Bill.

The TMC said it has consistently supported women’s reservation but raised concerns over linking it with delimitation, which opposition parties fear could alter the balance of political representation.

The Budget Session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting from April 16 to 18 has been convened to consider amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam for implementation from 2029.

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Under the proposed changes, the number of seats in the Lok Sabha may be increased from 543 to up to 850 following a delimitation exercise based on the latest published census. Seats in state and Union Territory assemblies are also proposed to be increased to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.