On Saturday, Shashi Tharoor, the Thiruvananthapuram MP and prominent Congress leader, shared an experience involving a brief conversation with Kiren Rijiju, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, following the adjournment of the Lok Sabha sine die. Tharoor highlighted that Rijiju acknowledged, “no one could ever call me anti-women,” a remark made during their interaction regarding the ruling party’s claims about the Opposition being “mahila virodhi,” or anti-women.

In a post shared on X, Tharoor included a selfie with Opposition members gathered with Rijiju inside the House. He elaborated on the conversation where Rijiju explained his party’s stance towards the Opposition’s label. Tharoor pointed out that such an accusation could not be adequately levelled against him, to which Rijiju reportedly conceded.

Tharoor’s Views on Women’s Representation

The Congress leader used this occasion to reiterate his commitment to enhancing women’s representation in political institutions. He referred to women as “by far the better half of the species” and “Humans 2.0,” asserting that they should have a more significant presence in Parliament and other institutions of governance.

Tharoor firmly stated that women deserve adequate representation without it being tied to what he described as a “mischievous and potentially dangerous delimitation” process that could threaten democratic values. His comments came in the context of the broader discussions surrounding women’s reservation in legislative bodies.

His statements arose shortly after the Lok Sabha witnessed a significant legislative failure concerning the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill. This bill aimed to implement a 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 and included proposals for expanding the Lok Sabha’s strength from 543 to 816 seats.

Legislative Outcome and Reactions

During the Lok Sabha proceedings on April 17, 2026, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was defeated despite the backing of 298 members, with 230 against it. The total number of participating MPs was 528, meaning the bill did not reach the necessary two-thirds majority of 352 votes required for constitutional amendments.

The bill was a focal point during a special session of Parliament held from April 16 to 18. Following its rejection, the Congress party characterised the outcome as a repudiation of what they termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s attempts to connect women’s reservation with the delimitation process. They portrayed the defeat as a victory for democratic tenets and the Constitution.

In contrast, the BJP labelled the event a “black day” in Indian politics, expressing concerns about the implications of the bill’s rejection. Rijiju accused opposing parties of obstructing progress for women, stating that they would inevitably face the backlash from women across the nation. He argued that the bill presented a historic opportunity to enhance women’s representation and questioned the objections raised against it.

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