CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Friday called for the immediate implementation of women's reservation, while strongly criticising the Union government for linking it with delimitation and census exercises.
In a detailed statement, Stalin, who celebrated the defeat of the bill by bursting firecrackers at his Dindigul rally on Friday evening, said the BJP-led NDA government convened a Special Session during ongoing State elections only to reiterate that the law cannot be implemented without a census and delimitation, despite it being passed in 2023.
"Let us be clear—we want women's reservation to be implemented now," he said, pointing out that Tamil Nadu has been a pioneer in providing reservation for women in local bodies.
However, he expressed concern over linking the quota with delimitation, stating that any such exercise must be carried out carefully to ensure fairness, especially for southern States.
We asked for consultation, clarity, and consensus. At the very least, the two could have been delinked and implemented separatelyChief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin
He alleged that the Union government had multiple opportunities to act but chose not to. "They could have delinked it. They could have consulted States and addressed its concerns. They chose not to," he said.
Terming the move as lacking sincerity, Stalin said, "This is not justice. This is not intent. This is optics."
He further asserted that women in Tamil Nadu and across India are aware and discerning, rejecting the notion that they can be treated as a mere vote bank. "The truth is simple—the BJP could have delivered. It chose not to," he said.
Reiterating his stance, Stalin emphasised that while the DMK supports women's reservation without conditions, it remains firm that delimitation must not disadvantage southern States and should only be undertaken with broad consensus.
In a post on social media platform X, Stalin said the outcome reflected the collective opposition to the Bill, which he had earlier criticised as detrimental to the State's interests.
"We will defeat Delhi's arrogance—and those who support it—together on April 23," he said, referring to the polling date in Tamil Nadu.