Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that any meaningful discussion on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam would not be possible without clarity on delimitation and related aspects, and suggested that an all-party meeting be convened after the ongoing state elections conclude on April 29.In his letter dated April 11, Kharge responded to the Prime Minister’s communication to floor leaders ahead of the April 16-18 special sitting of Parliament. He noted that the women’s reservation law had been passed unanimously in September 2023 and the Congress had at the time sought its immediate implementation.“I have just received your letter on the special session of Parliament for a discussion on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam from April 16,” Kharge wrote, adding that despite references to a broad consensus, the law has not been operationalised so far.“It has been 30 months since then, and now this special sitting has been called without taking us into confidence and your government is seeking our cooperation again without revealing any details on the delimitation. You will appreciate that without details of the delimitation and other aspects, it would be impossible to have any useful discussion on this historic law,” he said.Kharge said while the Prime Minister’s letter mentions consultations with political parties, Opposition parties have been consistently asking for a formal all-party meeting. “You mention in your letter that your government has engaged in dialogue with political parties regarding this. However, I am pained to point out that this goes against the truth since all the Opposition parties have been urging the government to call an all-party meeting after the current round of elections is over on April 29,” he wrote.He said holding a special sitting during ongoing elections raises concerns about the timing of the exercise. Kharge also referred to past policy decisions, including demonetisation, GST implementation and delays in census and fiscal processes, stating that these do not provide adequate assurance on matters of public importance.Stressing that the proposed constitutional amendments would have implications for both the Centre and the states, Kharge said it was necessary that all stakeholders were consulted. “If the special sitting is meant to ‘strengthen our democracy’ and ‘moving forward together, taking everyone along’ as you write in the letter, then I would suggest that the government convene an all-party meeting any time after April 29 to discuss the delimitation issue which is being linked to the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023,” he said.The exchange comes ahead of the special sitting of Parliament where the government is expected to bring amendments to advance the implementation of the women’s reservation law before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju later today responded to Kharge’s letter to PM, urging the Congress to support the smooth culmination of the landmark women’s reservation legislation, which he said would empower crores of women across the country.