Rijiju meets Rahul Gandhi on delimitation, women quota bills; Congress holds firm

New Delhi: Amid the continuing deadlock in the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday held a nearly 50-minute meeting with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to discuss the government's proposed Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation and women's reservation, but the Congress leader made it clear there was no change in the party's stand.

This was the second meeting between Rijiju and Gandhi held in the LoP's chamber in Parliament. Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party general secretary KC Venugopal were present at the meeting while Deputy Leader in the LS Gaurav Gogoi joined later.

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After the meeting, Venugopal said the government wanted to know whether the Opposition had "changed its stand or not" on the delimitation bill. "Rijiju came with the PM's agenda. The Opposition stand is very clear. They (government) wanted to know whether there is any change in our stand. Our stand has not changed," Venugopal said. Asked whether there was any proposal for a special session, he said the Opposition was not aware of any such move. "The person (Shah) who has to bring the bill is not even coming to the House. First, he has to tell the House who ordered the firing on students," he said. However, senior government functionaries later indicated that if the Centre succeeds in securing the required political support, it would prefer to bring the women reservation-cum-delimitation bill in the monsoon session itself rather than convene a special session. In fact, Rijiju later said, "No proposal to extend any dates of Parliament session, no special session from August 16 to 18 on women's reservation and delimitation bills."

Also Read: Govt, opposition discuss Delimitation Bill in 50-minute Parliament meeting: Sources

Sources said Gandhi also conveyed that Congress would oppose the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in its present form. "The fact is that the government representatives have been meeting leaders of other Opposition parties, seeking their support for this very bill. And finally, they met the LoP. They appeared more keen to demonstrate the outreach than actually making any constructive proposal," a senior Congress leader said after the meeting. Congress leaders also said Gandhi reiterated that a statement by home minister Amit Shah on the police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak and a discussion on the alleged theft of donations at Ram Temple remained essential for ending the parliamentary impasse.

The outreach comes as the BJP attempts to bridge the gap needed to secure the two-thirds majority required for a Constitution Amendment Bill. With the effective strength of the Lok Sabha at 540, the government would require the support of 360 MPs if all members are present and voting.