Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 5: Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party, on Sunday strongly opposed any move to implement the Women’s Reservation Bill without conducting a new population census, arguing that relying on outdated data would make the policy flawed and unfair.

In a post on social media platform X, Yadav stressed that accurate population figures are essential for fair representation. “If the counting itself is wrong, how can the reservation be correct?” he wrote, emphasizing that proper enumeration is the foundation for any policy that claims to be equitable.

He highlighted that the Bill, which proposes reserving one-third of seats for women, is grounded in a mathematical formula that cannot rely on uncertain or outdated data. “Mathematics depends on numbers, not vague assumptions. The foundation of numbers is population, which in turn is based on a census,” Yadav noted.

Pointing out that the last national Census was conducted in 2011, he argued that using decade-old data would compromise the effectiveness and fairness of the reservation. “If outdated 2011 data is used as the basis for the women’s population, then the foundation of women’s reservation itself becomes flawed. When the foundation is weak, how can a true and fair outcome emerge?” he asked.

Yadav clarified that his party’s opposition is procedural, aiming to ensure accuracy and fairness. He demanded a fresh Census before any parliamentary discussions or implementation of the women’s reservation. “A government that does not want to count women properly cannot be expected to provide them a fair reservation,” he said, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies of attempting to “deceive” women by pushing the policy prematurely.

His statement follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent announcement of a three-day special parliamentary session later this month aimed at fast-tracking the operationalisation of 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, targeting implementation from the 2029 general elections.