Women's Reservation Bill Already Passed in 2023; Delimitation Bill Defeated in Parliament: Former CM Hooda

Rohtak, April 18, 2026: Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the BJP’s is misleading the public regarding issues concerning farmers, the youth, and women as its sole objective is to divert attention from core issues.

Addressing a press conference here today, Hooda pointed out that the Women's Reservation Bill had, in fact, already been passed in 2023. “It was passed in the Lok Sabha on September 20, 2023, with a majority of 454 votes. Had the BJP members truly been as pro-women as they claim, they would have implemented the bill back in 2023 itself,” he said.

“Instead, they attempted to complicate the legislation by linking it to the process of delimitation. The amendment bill that was recently defeated was not the Women's Reservation Bill; rather, it was merely an amendment related to delimitation, through which the government sought to alter the country's electoral map to suit its own agenda. Sensing that the ground is slipping beneath their feet ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is resorting to such maneuvers,” he pointed out.

Commenting on the plight of farmers, the former Chief Minister noted that farmers in Haryana's Mandis are facing severe difficulties. “There is not even enough space within the Mandis to store the harvested grain, as the process of lifting (procurement and removal) has come to a complete standstill,” he said.

“The government has failed to even provide the necessary gunny bags (bardana) for packaging the produce. To date, less than 20 percent of the produce has been lifted, and farmers are experiencing delays of 8 to 10 days in receiving their payments. Frustrated with the government's apathy, farmers have begun locking up smaller Mandis, such as those in Beri, Dubaldhan, Meham, Sanghi, Kalai, and others—in protest. The situation in these smaller markets has deteriorated from bad to worse,” he said.

Hooda recalled that during the tenure of the Congress government, the state of Haryana and its farmers remained the same, yet no such complaints regarding the Mandis were ever received. Now, however, the government constantly cites various excuses, ranging from moisture content and discoloration to registration issues, solely to avoid paying the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers. However, it is not even addressing the issue of indemnification and compensation for farmers.

He pointed out that the Agriculture Minister made a ludicrous statement during the unseasonal rains that occurred a few days ago, claiming that the rainfall was actually benefiting the farmers. A person holding such a responsible position should not make such irresponsible remarks,” he said.

Hooda said that he personally toured various Mandis across Haryana and interacted with farmers; he noted that not a single farmer spoke of deriving any benefit from the government's current policies.

Responding to a question regarding HKRN employees, he said that in 2014, the Congress government had passed a proposal to regularize temporary employees. However, the BJP government kept this matter stalled for 12 years.

“Now, even the Supreme Court has delivered a verdict in favor of our policy. We have maintained from the very beginning that the government should adopt the Congress party's policy to ensure benefits for these employees; instead, the BJP has adopted an anti-employee stance,” he said.

“While the Congress party regularized thousands of contractual workers, thereby uplifting their families, the BJP government is actively engaged in the continuous termination of even those HKRN employees whom it had appointed itself. New recruitment drives are not being initiated, and whenever vacancies do arise, particularly for major government positions, 90 percent of the opportunities are being awarded to candidates from outside the state,” he pointed out.

Responding to other queries, Hooda remarked that the JJP and INLD act as the BJP's "B-teams," carrying out every task solely at the BJP's behest.

Regarding the upcoming municipal corporation elections, he announced that the Congress party would contest under its official election symbol. He said a final decision regarding the mayoral elections is scheduled to be taken during a meeting this afternoon at 3:00 PM.

Issuing guidelines on party discipline, Hooda emphasized that all party workers must strictly adhere to party protocols. He noted that disciplinary action has been initiated against those involved in cross-voting, as they have betrayed not only the party but also the very constituents who elected them as legislators. He asserted that individuals engaging in such conduct should resign from their posts and seek a fresh mandate through re-election.