Congress boycotts Haryana special session, CM moves women’s quota resolution

Saini slams Oppn’s ‘anti-women’ stance as House meets to discuss defeat of 131st amendment in Lok Sabha; parliamentary affairs minister seeks censure motion.

The Congress on Monday boycotted the one-day special session of the Haryana assembly, accusing the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government of using the state legislature as a platform for political propaganda. The session was primarily convened by the ruling BJP to target the Congress for the April 17 defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha—a contentious piece of legislation that sought to link women’s reservation with a fresh delimitation exercise.

Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini termed the Congress’s absence a “testament to its anti-women attitude” and asked why the party was “running away” from the House, asserting the behaviour of its members was similar to the obstructive conduct of their MPs. (HT file photo)

The session, which began with the national song Vande Mataram and empty opposition benches, was marked by a brief appearance and immediate exit by Congress MLA Jarnail Singh, one of the five party legislators currently suspended for alleged cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections.

Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini termed the Congress’s absence a “testament to its anti-women attitude” and asked why the party was “running away” from the House, asserting that the behaviour of its members was similar to the obstructive conduct of their MPs in the Lok Sabha.

The BJP-led government used the sitting to highlight the implications of the failed central Bill, which aimed to expand Lok Sabha seats and implement gender-based reservation.

Cabinet minister Krishan Lal Panwar was quick to capitalise on the empty benches during the session, remarking after the obituary references that the Congress’s absence was a direct reflection of their lack of seriousness toward the state’s welfare and democratic accountability.

Parliamentary affairs minister Mahipal Dhanda suggested a censure motion to formally condemn the Congress’s decision to skip the proceedings. Dhanda and other ministers argued that the Congress had forfeited its right to represent the state’s interests by avoiding a debate.

In response, Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda defended the boycott, saying the session as nothing more than a platform for “vested political agenda and propaganda.” Hooda said the assembly should be used to address the state’s pressing internal issues rather than serving as a theatre for the BJP to settle scores over its national legislative defeats.

The Congress and its allies at the Centre had blocked the Bill in the Lower House, demanding that the 33% women’s quota be implemented immediately without being tied to a census-linked delimitation, and further insisting on a dedicated sub-quota for OBC women.