Opposition MPs, activists oppose amendments to Transgender Persons Act

Members of Parliament and officials of political parties from across the country on Sunday (March 22, 2026) spoke out against the Union government’s Bill to amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, which proposes to remove the right to a self-perceived gender identity and introduces the requirement for a medical board to determine whether a person is transgender based on a new definition of “transgender person”.

At a public hearing held at the Press Club of India, Rajya Sabha MPs from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian National Congress, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) spoke against the Bill and said that there was an attempt to coordinate a strategy to oppose it within Parliament. However, Manoj Kumar Jha, MP from the RJD, said, “This government is only afraid of the streets,” even as Renuka Chowdhury said that it would be an “uphill battle”. John Brittas said that while no formal meeting of political parties had taken place over the strategy to oppose the Bill, it is expected to be taken up in the next meeting of Opposition Parliamentarians.