New Delhi, April 16: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav sharply criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, accusing it of trying to delay the caste-based census. Yadav argued that the BJP's reluctance stems from the fear that if the census is conducted, the government will be compelled to release caste-based data and implement reservation policies for backward communities.

During his speech in the Lok Sabha, Yadav reiterated the Samajwadi Party's support for the Women’s Reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve one-third of parliamentary seats for women. However, he raised concerns about the BJP's haste in pushing for the bill's immediate implementation. "We support the Women's Reservation Bill and have always championed women's progress," he stated. "But the BJP is turning women into mere slogans. They need to explain why, out of 21 states they govern, how many have women Chief Ministers? Even in Delhi, the Chief Minister's powers are severely restricted. Why the rush?"

Yadav went further to accuse the BJP of using the Women's Reservation Bill as a smokescreen for ulterior political motives. He claimed that the party was keen on avoiding a caste-based census, which would expose the need for caste-based reservations. “The truth is, the BJP wants to delay the caste-based census to prevent the release of caste-based data, which would force them to implement reservations for backward communities,” Yadav said, calling it a "massive conspiracy."

He also brought up past controversies to make his point, recalling the Form 7 and SIR scams where voters’ names were allegedly removed. "When we exposed these electoral malpractices, the BJP introduced these bills to divert attention," Yadav alleged. "Now, they are using the women’s reservation issue as a distraction. But this time, they won't succeed."

Yadav's remarks came amid the government's introduction of the Constitution (131 Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha. Despite opposition demands for a division vote, the government pushed through these bills with 251 votes in favor and 185 against, out of a total of 333 votes.

The Lok Sabha usually employs voice voting, but when contested, a "division" vote is taken using the Automatic Vote Recorder to tally votes. The government has also called for a special sitting of Parliament from April 16 to 18 to pass the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which aims to implement the Women’s Reservation Bill in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, based on the 2011 census data.