Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday attacked the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Congress for blocking the passage of women’s reservation bill in Parliament, alleging that the two opposition parties have betrayed women of the country and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would ensure justice.
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Addressing an election rally in the Modakkurichi constituency in Erode district of Tamil Nadu, Shah said that the DMK-Congress combine with a “narrow objective” avoided the passage of Delimitation with an evil intent.
“With the support of Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, I give a guarantee to all of you. The DMK-Congress avoided this rare opportunity that should have reached women.I will never allow this act of conspiracy. Certainly, this (Women’s Reservation) Bill will be passed. The people of Tamil Nadu will receive benefits,” Shah, who was on a short visit to the poll-bound state, said.
Shah further said the BJP, under the leadership of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, has formed a “victorious alliance”.
“After the AIADMK-led BJP alliance forms its government (post elections), the new government will change the current situation where law and order in Tamil Nadu is so bad. When our government is formed, all the lost glories and specialities of the southern state will be retrieved.”
In an attack against chief minister MK Stalin, the home minister said the only objective of the CM was to somehow make his son Udhayanidhi Stalin as the next CM of Tamil Nadu.
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“…first (DMK patriarch) M Karunanidhi was in power. After that, MK Stalin was there. Next, Karunanidhi’s grandson (Udhayanidhi) is going to come,” he said. “Tamil Nadu has never gained any benefit from such a family rule conducted generation after generation,” he added.
Maintaining that the BJP introduced the women’s bill in Parliament so that women from Tamil Nadu can independently participate in the political system,Shah said, “the force that blocked that Bill from being passed in Parliament was the DMK and Congress.”
“The DMK and the Congress defeated this good effort of reservation for the community of women in the legislative assembly and in the Parliament, not just in Tamil Nadu but in the entire country,” he said.
Stressing that the NDA made a great effort to conduct the census and ensure that through the delimitation, 50% of new constituencies would be formed for Tamil Nadu, he said, “However, with a narrow objective that the existing constituencies in Tamil Nadu should not increase through delimitation and that women should not get more seats, DMK and Congress avoided this bill with evil intent.”
Meanwhile, Congress MP from Virudhunagar Manickam Tagore said he was ready to give up the Virudhunagar seat for a sister if 33% reservation was implemented across all the 543 constituencies, as promised in the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act.
“But, why are not (Narendra) Modi and (Amit) Shah ready to give up Varanasi and Gandhinagar? Why this hesitation? Instead, they talk about creating new seats — clearly avoiding real social change,” Tagore said in a post on X on Sunday.
He argued that women’s reservation cannot be symbolic or selective.
“It must be fair, immediate and across existing constituencies not delayed through delimitation or diversion tactics. The fight is simple. Genuine representation versus political convenience,” he added.
