Kanimozhi Karunanidhi criticized the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for supporting the delimitation Bill introduced by the Bharatiya Janata Party. She claimed that this move was not in the best interests of Tamil Nadu and other southern States. The failure of the Bill in Parliament was seen as a relief by the people of Tamil Nadu and the southern region.
The DMK leader expressed concerns about the potential impact of the proposed legislation on political representation in the South. She mentioned that M. K. Stalin had actively opposed the Bill by reaching out to Chief Ministers of southern States and organizing a meeting in Chennai to build a consensus against the proposal. Kanimozhi emphasized the importance of maintaining the federal balance and representation of southern States.
She also criticized the Centre for linking the delimitation exercise with the 33 per cent women’s reservation Bill, calling it a politically motivated decision that was not in the best interest of women. The delay caused by this linkage was viewed as detrimental to women’s interests. Opposition parties united against the combined proposal, leading to the Bill failing to garner sufficient support in Parliament.
Kanimozhi reiterated the DMK’s stance that women’s reservation should be implemented immediately without being tied to delimitation. She argued that delaying the reservation by linking it to delimitation would undermine women’s rights and stall necessary reforms. She urged for the immediate implementation of the reservation without any preconditions.
