Chennai: Welcoming the ‘delayed’ Women’s Reservation Bill passed in the Parliament that provides 33 per cent quota for women in Parliament and Legislatures, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K.Stalin said it was now passed by the BJP-led regime at the Centre, after being silent for nine long years, only with an eye on the ensuing Lok Sabha polls fearing defeat.
In a statement here last night, Mr Stalin, who has all along been supporting this cause as TN is the first state to implement it, made a strong call to defeat the “political conspiracy” to reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats from south India, through the proposed delimitation exercise based on the new population census.
“The census hangs as a Damoclean sword over the south Indian states. We have to defeat the political conspiracy to reduce the Lok Sabha seats in south India based on the new census”, he said.
“Any attempt to cause injustice to Tamil Nadu, a State with high political awareness, should be nipped in the bud,” he declared.
Mr. Stalin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should assure the people that no injustice would be caused to those in south India under the guise of delimitation.
“I urge the Prime Minister to dispel the fear of south Indian people,” he said.
Observing that the BJP government at the Centre could have passed this Bill any time during its nine year long tenure if it was really genuine about it,Mr Stalin said “DMK MP Kanimozhi led a rally in Delhi in support of the reservation. But the BJP government did nothing”
“As the election to the Lok Sabha polls is fast approaching and the BJP fearing a defeat, it has now mplemented the 33% reservation to projec it itself that this is as an achievement,” he alleged.
Not mncing any words, Mr Stalin contrasted this with what he termed as the “urgency and stubbornness” shown by the BJP in bringing in legislations for certain other causes like the abrogation of Article 370 or the introduction of 10% reservation for economically weaker sections.
Mr Stalin said he would welcome and support the Bill though it had been delayed and the BJP was bringing it in now, as an “eyewash” to divert the attention of people, from other pressing issues.
“I urge those in power to also consider the fair demand that women belonging to Backward Classes (BC) and Most Backward Classes should be given reservations in the Bill,” he added.
Mr. Stalin said India was the only country that had failed to conduct a decennial census and the BJP government had not given any assurance on the issue.
“It is really strange that the BJP is planning to enact a law to provide 33% quota for women which will come into effect in 2029, and it is also not clear when the Census will take place,” he said.
