New Delhi, March 23 -- Members of the transgender community and politicians from Opposition parties called for the withdrawal of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, at a public hearing held in New Delhi on Sunday. Rajya Sabha members Renuka Chowdhury, Manoj Kumar Jha and John Brittas, as well as Rachnatmak Congress chairperson Sandeep Dikshit spoke out against the bill and the negative impact it will have on the transgender community members who have been left out of the bill's ambit. NCP(SP) national spokesperson Anish Gawande said that the party's representatives will oppose the bill in both House of Parliament. "We are in a situation where it is constitutional morality versus majoritarian morality. We need to join our fights together and have a concerted strategy. That's how we will prevail in the Parliament," said Jha, a Rajya Sabha MP, and a spokesperson of RJD. "It will be an uphill task but we have to fight it collectively, cohesively, and have to ensure that the government is responsive," Congress Rajya Sabha member Renuka Chowdhury said. The bill was introduced in the ongoing budget session of the Parliament, which ends on April 2, in an effort by the Centre to curb the misuse of funds granted by schemes meant for the most marginalised transgender people. However, it has found few takers in the community that has challenged the amendments on the grounds that the bill leaves out several socio-cultural groups of transgender persons currently accessing benefits of the existing schemes, and also jeopardises the future of several other transpersons in need of help. "Every day transgender people below the age of 18 face domestic sexual abuse, every day a transgender person somewhere in the country dies by suicide, however the government has not done anything to address this. Our communities have existed for years but we are still doing begging and sex work. This is why we are gathering to fight against this bill," said Tamil Nadu-based Dalit and transgender rights activist Grace Banu. "The government doesn't want pluralism, diversity, or federalism. Multiple pieces of legislation have come through which have this character, such as the plethora of anti-conversion laws which have been passed by several states," said John Brittas, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala. HT reached out to the BJP)and the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment for comments, but did not receive a comment till the time of going to press....