New Delhi- In a significant show of solidarity, major opposition parties have thrown their weight behind the transgender and queer community’s fierce rejection of the Modi government’s Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026. A high-level delegation of transgender activists met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and MP Jothimani today, prompting the party to issue a strong statement of unequivocal opposition.

The Bill, introduced by Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar on March 13, seeks to redefine “transgender” in narrow socio-cultural terms, scrap the right to self-identification upheld by the Supreme Court’s 2014 NALSA judgment, mandate invasive medical board examinations and introduce criminal penalties with surveillance mechanisms. Critics across the political spectrum and within the community argue that it erases diverse gender identities, including trans men, non-binary and genderqueer persons, while subjecting marginalised lives to state control.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera minced no words in his scathing critique posted on social media:

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi issued a detailed statement slamming the Bill as “a brazen attack on the Constitutional rights and identity of transgender people.” He listed its key flaws:

• Strips transgender people of their ability to self-identify, violating a Supreme Court judgement

• Wipes out the diverse cultural identities of communities across India

• Forces trans people to undergo dehumanizing examinations by a medical board

• Introduces criminal penalties and surveillance without safeguards

“The BJP government hasn’t consulted the trans community and brought a bill which stigmatises rather than protects them,” Rahul Gandhi said. “The Constitution protects every Indian’s right to life, liberty, identity, and dignity. This BJP government is violating our Constitution and destroying India’s rich history of honouring transgender communities in pursuit of its narrow ideas. The Congress Party unequivocally opposes this.”

Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram has written directly to Minister Virendra Kumar, voicing strong reservations and urging the government to reconsider the provisions that undermine dignity and autonomy. In a social media post, he stated, " The Transgender Amendment Bill 2026 is a shameful rollback of rights. It kills self-identification, revives colonial-era suspicion, and erases trans men, trans women & non-binary citizens affirmed by the Supreme Court in NALSA. I reject this bill outright."

The party’s outreach was visible today when a delegation of transgender community members and civil society representatives met Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and senior Congress MP Jothimani. Jothimani, who had earlier received a detailed memorandum of objections from the community, assured the delegation that Congress would raise these concerns forcefully in Parliament.

CPI(M) and VBA Join the Chorus of Protest

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) was among the first national parties to react. On March 14, its Polit Bureau issued a hard-hitting statement demanding immediate withdrawal of the Bill, terming it “an assault on the constitutional rights of transgender persons” that replaces self-perceived identity with medical and bureaucratic gatekeeping.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Prakash Ambedkar, has also released a detailed statement rejecting the amendments outright. The party warned that the Bill would “nullify the very limited progress made in transgender rights” and “advance systematic exclusion, trauma and violence – both physical and symbolic – of the transgender persons.” VBA has pledged full support to the ongoing protests and called for restoration of the self-identification regime under the NALSA judgment.

Transgender and queer collectives have erupted in protests across the country since the Bill’s introduction. Rallies in Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and Delhi have seen activists holding placards declaring “Our identity is not your law” and “Hands off our bodies.” Over 44 student bodies from top law schools have issued a joint condemnation, while civil society groups and even some members of the National Council for Transgender Persons have publicly opposed the legislation. Online petitions too are gaining momentum with civil society and organisations extending support to the queer community.