‘Religion-Based Quota Unconstitutional’, Says Amit Shah In Lok Sabha As Women's Reservation Sparks Fiery Debate

 

New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said in Parliament that the Constitution does not permit quotas on the basis of religion and that there would be no separate reservation for Muslim women in the country.

Speaking during the special session, Shah slammed Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav’s remarks, calling them unconstitutional. “Dharmendra Yadav has made an unconstitutional statement. Our Constitution does not allow reservations based on religion. Granting reservation to Muslims on religious grounds is unconstitutional, and the question of it does not arise," Shah said.

 

The SP leader raised concerns over the introduction of three Bills, describing them as the exclusion of Muslim women from the reservation framework, remarks which Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju termed “unconstitutional”.

The Centre on Thursday introduced three bills including the one to amend women’s quota law in the Lok Sabha after a division vote following the opposition in the House. It marked a significant development during the ongoing special session of Parliament.

 

After tabling the proposed Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal initiated the debate. He also tabled the Delimitation Bill, 2026, on implementing a one-third reservation for women in legislative bodies for discussion.

Adding to the agenda for the day, Home Minister Shah introduced the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

 

The introduction of the bills triggered strong reactions from the opposition led by Congress MP KC Venugopal, who opposed all three pieces of legislation and formally recorded the party’s objections in the House. He accused the government of “completely hijacking the Constitution”.

In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Home Minister Shah clarified that the Bills have just been introduced and the discussion on them is yet to follow.

However, Venugopal continued to speak, prompting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to intervene and assuring him that adequate time would be given during the debate.

 

Samajwadi president Akhilesh Yadav questioned the government over delays in conducting the census, although he clarified that his party supports women’s reservation in principle. “They are delaying the census because when it happens, we will ask for the caste-based census, and they don't want it,” he said.

Responding to the charge, Shah said the census process had already started across the country, and a caste-based census will follow. “Currently, the house listing is underway; homes don't belong to a certain caste. If SP has its way, they will designate a caste to homes also,” he said.

 

Akhilesh described Shah's comments regarding the Muslim community as "undemocratic", to which Shah replied, “We are not stopping the Samajwadi Party from giving all their tickets to Muslim women.”

Earlier, the Home Minister justified the simultaneous introduction of three bills. “To take the Women's Reservation Bill to a logical end, these two laws are necessary; that is why these two laws have been brought together. The opposition are opposing the bills because they had decided to oppose everything in their meeting.”

The debate in the Lok Sabha is expected to continue, with both the government and the Opposition preparing to push their stances on the proposed amendments and the broader women’s issues.