BJP wooing NCP (SP), DMK for support on 131st Constitution Amendment Bill: P Chidambaram

New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram claimed that the BJP is wooing the NCP (SP) and the DMK to get their support for the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill, which the government intends to bring in the Monsoon session of Parliament and urged the two regional parties to not support the Bill.

Chidambaram also said any support to the new version of the "failed Bill" will be a "betrayal" of the NCP (SP) and DMK's own conscience that guided them earlier.

"The BJP is planning to bring back the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill that failed in the last session of Parliament in April 2026," Chidambaram said in a post on X on Tuesday.

"The failed Bill purported to reserve for women one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies, but its real purpose was to pave the way for delimitation and, possibly, gerrymandering of constituencies," he said.

The Constitution of India was already amended by the Constitution 106th Amendment Act to provide reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies, he said.

Hence there was -- and there is -- no need for a new Bill to provide reservation for women, he said.

"After splitting the TMC, the BJP is reportedly wooing the NCP(SP) and the DMK to garner the crucial votes to support the new version of the failed Bill," he said.

"NCP(SP) and DMK have been clear-headed about the real purpose of the failed Bill and it is expected that they will stand firm in the future too.

"Any support to a new version of the failed Bill -- whose real purpose is delimitation -- will be a betrayal of their own conscience that guided them in April 2026," Chidambaram said.

The former home minister claimed that delimitation of constituencies under the present formula will cause "grave injustice" to the rights of states that had faithfully followed the National Population Policy and contained the growth of the state's population.

"States' rights must be fiercely guarded against the rampaging BJP," he said.

His remark met with criticism from the BJP.

Responding to Chidambaram, BJP leader Karunasagar said, “P. Chidambaram’s statement is politically motivated and legally misleading. The 106th Constitution Amendment has already provided the 33% reservation to women in both Parliament and assemblies, but its implementation is linked to the constitutional process, such as census and delimitation… The constitutional process of delimitation is to ensure that every citizen of India has proper representation in the Parliament and Assembly, and it's not a conspiracy… Instead of spreading apprehensions about federalism and states’ rights, the Opposition should engage in constructive debate…”

The government intends to bring the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill proposing to raise Lok Sabha seats to 850 and initiate delimitation in the Monsoon session of Parliament starting July 20. PTI