‘No One Could Ever Call Me Anti-Women’: Tharoor Recalls Exchange With Rijiju After Women’s Bill Defeat

The remarks followed the Lok Sabha defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill on 33% women’s reservation.

Image shared by Shashi Tharoor on X

A day after the women’s reservation bill failed in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor shared details of a brief and candid exchange with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju inside the House.

In a post on X, Tharoor posted a picture of Opposition MPs interacting with Rijiju after Parliament was adjourned sine die. He said the conversation touched upon the ruling party’s claim that the Opposition was “mahila virodhi” (anti-women). According to Tharoor, when the issue was raised, it was pointed out to Rijiju that such a label could not be applied to him — a point the minister accepted.

“A little post-adjournment gathering of Opposition MPs in the LokSabha with our charming Parliamentary Affairs Minister. When @KirenRijiju explained why he & his party were calling the Opposition “mahila virodhi”, it was pointed out to him that no one could ever call me anti-women! He conceded the point,” Tharoor wrote.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP also used the moment to restate his views on women’s representation. He argued that women deserve a greater role in governance and institutions, while cautioning against linking their advancement to delimitation.

“Let’s face it, women are by far the better half of the species. They’re the improved models: Humans 2.0. They deserve representation in Parliament and in every institution. Just don’t link their advancement to a mischievous and potentially dangerous Delimitation that could devastate our democracy,” he said.

The remarks came after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which aimed to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures from 2029, was defeated in the Lok Sabha. The proposal also included increasing the total number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 through a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census, along with similar changes in state assemblies and Union Territories.

During voting on Friday, 298 MPs supported the bill while 230 opposed it. With 528 members present, the legislation fell short of the required two-thirds majority of 352 votes needed to pass a constitutional amendment. The bill had been introduced during a special three-day session of Parliament held from April 16 to 18.

Following the outcome, the Congress described the result as a defence of democratic values, accusing the government of trying to link women’s reservation with delimitation. The BJP, however, called it a “black day” and warned that those who opposed the bill would face public anger, particularly from women voters

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