A high-profile delegation of Kerala women legislators staged a dramatic walkout from an NCW capacity-building workshop in Faridabad, citing linguistic exclusion and the dismissal of critical policy debates.

  • Kerala women MLAs walked out of the NCW workshop in Faridabad due to language barriers and irrelevant content.
  • The delegation protested the heavy reliance on Hindi and the refusal to use English for non-Hindi speaking delegates.
  • Tensions peaked when the NCW Chairperson dismissed questions regarding the Women's Reservation Bill and 'One Nation, One Election'.

In a startling display of political friction, a delegation of women Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from Kerala walked out of a two-day capacity-building workshop organized by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in Faridabad on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. What was intended to be a professional development session for women legislators quickly devolved into a clash over linguistic identity and democratic discourse.

The Kerala delegation, led by prominent figures including Minister Bindhu Krishna and Speaker Shanimol Osman, expressed profound dissatisfaction with the event's organization. According to Minister Krishna, the legislators arrived expecting high-level training on legislative drafting and governance. Instead, they found a curriculum that they deemed basic and irrelevant, focusing on topics like filing police complaints and self-help groups—subjects they argued were suited for the general public rather than elected lawmakers.

Read Also:Annapurna Yojana: 17 Lakh Applications Rejected; Bengal Government Outlines Reasons and Re-application Process

Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that this incident is not merely a disagreement over a workshop agenda, but a reflection of the deepening linguistic divide in India's federal structure. When national bodies prioritize a single language over the linguistic diversity of the Union, it alienates representatives from the South and Northeast, potentially undermining the spirit of cooperative federalism.

The atmosphere turned hostile during a Q&A session. The Kerala representatives sought the NCW's position on the Women's Reservation Bill, specifically its link to Census delimitation and the controversial 'One Nation, One Election' proposal. However, the NCW Chairperson abruptly shut down the inquiry, claiming the workshop was not the appropriate forum for such political debates.

The dismissal of elected representatives' policy queries by a statutory body suggests a worrying shift from consultative governance to a top-down instructional approach.

The situation reached a breaking point when some attendees began chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai," which the Kerala delegation countered with slogans urging the organizers to "Uphold the Constitution" and "Respect Diversity." Feeling insulted and ignored, the delegation, including Minister K.A. Thulasi and MLAs K.K. Rema, Fathima Thahliya, Vidya Balakrishnan, Uma Thomas, and Usha Vijayan, exited the venue in protest.

Did You Know?: The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory body established in 1992 to advise the Government of India on all matters relating to the creation, revision, and utilization of laws protecting women.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Why did the Kerala MLAs walk out?
They walked out due to the heavy use of Hindi over English, the irrelevance of the workshop topics for lawmakers, and the NCW Chairperson's refusal to discuss the Women's Reservation Bill.

Q2: Who were the key leaders involved in the protest?
The protest was led by Minister Bindhu Krishna, Speaker Shanimol Osman, and Minister K.A. Thulasi, along with several other women MLAs from Kerala.