A sharp exchange broke out in the Lok Sabha as Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav locked horns after the government tabled the Constitution Amendment and the Delimitation Bills.While the Samajwadi Party demanded reservation within reservation for Muslim women, the Home Minister firmly rejected the demands for religion-based reservation, stating that the Constitution does not permit it.Raising concerns, Akhilesh Yadav questioned the government’s urgency in pushing forward the Delimitation Bill without first completing the Census.He said his party supports the Women’s Reservation Bill in principle but objected to what he described as a rushed approach tied to delimitation.“Why is the government in a hurry? Start with the Census first,” he said, alleging that delaying the Census was a way to avoid demands for caste-based reservation.Responding immediately, Shah asserted that the “Census process is already underway” and emphasised that “it would include caste enumeration”.“I want to inform the entire country that the Census has begun. The government has decided to conduct a caste census, and the enumeration will include caste data,” he said, taking a swipe at the Samajwadi Party.The Home Minister also firmly rejected demands for religion-based reservation, stating that the Constitution does not permit it. “Any reservation for Muslims on the basis of religion is unconstitutional.”“You can give all your tickets to Muslim women, we have nonissues but no question of religion-based reservation as Constitution doesn’t permit it,” Shah said, responding to remarks from SP leaders regarding representation for Muslim women.Defending the introduction of the Bills, Shah stressed that they were necessary to fully implement women’s reservation. “To take women’s reservation to its logical end, these Bills are required together,” he said.Yadav, however, maintained that the sequencing of reforms was crucial and reiterated that a comprehensive Census would shape future policy decisions on reservation. The exchange grew heated at points, prompting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to intervene and urge members to avoid turning the discussion into a direct debate.Meanwhile, Congress member KC Venugopal called the Delimitation Bill a “fundamental attack on India’s federal structure” and demanded the government withdraw the Bill.