Chennai: While hailing the Women’s Reservation Bill, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday called for defeating the political conspiracy to reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats from South India, through the proposed delimitation exercise that would be based on the next population census.
His statement comes against the backdrop of apprehensions that the next delimitation would lead to a disproportionate increase in Lok Sabha seats in north India, particularly in larger States such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan by virtue of their higher population and reduce or maintain status quo on the seats in southern States including Tamil Nadu where the population is under control due to effective implementation of family planning.
Equating the census and delimitation with a Damoclean sword hanging over the South Indian states, he said, “We have to defeat the political conspiracy to reduce the Lok Sabha seats in South India. Any attempt to cause injustice to Tamil Nadu, a State with high political awareness, should be nipped in the bud.”
'Dispel the fear of South Indians'
The DMK leader said, “I urge the Prime Minister to dispel the fear of south Indian people” and sought an assurance that no injustice would be caused to South India under the guise of the delimitation exercise.
He also called upon the BJP to consider the “fair demand that women belonging to Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes should be given reservations in the Bill”.
“It is really strange that the BJP is planning to enact a law to provide 33% reservation for women which will come into effect in 2029, and it is also not clear when the Census will take place,” he said.
Global Gender Gap Report 2022
Stalin pointed out India ranked 146 in the gender gap ratio as per the Global Gender Gap Report, 2022, Mr. Stalin the poor representation of women in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies could be corrected only by the Women’s Reservation Bill. He charged the BJP had delayed introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill unlike the urgency and stubbornness displayed by it in abrogation of Article 370 and introduction of 10 per cent quota for the Economically Weaker Sections among the open competition category.
