Agartala, 30th April 2026:Congress MLA and former minister Sudip Roy Barman on Thursday strongly criticized the Central government during a one-day session of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, alleging that the women’s reservation initiative is being used to advance hidden political interests.
Speaking in the House on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, he said he supports women’s reservation in principle but questioned the intent behind the current implementation. He claimed that the policy is being used in a way that places women at the forefront of political competition for partisan benefit.
He recalled that the idea of 33% reservation for women was first introduced by the Congress, and said that at the time, several senior BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley, Yogi Adityanath, and Sushma Swaraj, had opposed the proposal. He added that he could provide evidence of this on the Assembly floor.
Roy Barman further stated that although the Bill was passed in September 2023 by both ruling and opposition parties, the official notification was issued only on April 16, 2026. He suggested that the timing of the notification reflects the government’s political motives.
He also raised questions over the implementation of the delimitation process linked to the law, asking how it could proceed without amending Articles 81 and 82 of the Constitution. According to him, the move raises serious concerns and appears to be driven by interests beyond women’s empowerment.
He concluded by saying that the use of women’s reservation in this manner risks turning it into a political tool, and noted that even after the 2011 Census, no additional seats were increased in Tripura.
