Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Saturday launched a sharp verbal attack on the Centre over the issue of women's reservation, accusing it of using the policy as a “political weapon” ahead of a proposed delimitation exercise based on population. The Chief Minister alleged that the Union government lacked genuine intent to implement reservations for women in the legislatures.
“If their concerns were genuine, they could have implemented it immediately. Instead, the BJP-led Centre is attempting to use it as a tool to tackle the opposition and push forward delimitation based on population,” he said.
Stalin, who is also the President of the DMK, demanded that women’s reservation be implemented without linking it to the delimitation process. He emphasised that delaying the policy under such pretexts raises questions about the Centre’s commitment.
Expressing strong apprehensions over the proposed delimitation exercise, Stalin reiterated that Tamil Nadu could be adversely affected if parliamentary seats are redistributed based on population figures. He noted that the DMK was among the first to raise concerns over the issue, highlighting the potential disadvantage for states that have successfully implemented population control measures.
Recalling the party’s efforts, Stalin said the DMK had convened an all-party meeting and also participated in discussions among Chief Ministers under a Joint Action Committee to push for a “fair delimitation.” The demand, he said, was to freeze the process for the next 25 years and continue seat allocation based on the 1971 Census.
“We urged the Union government that states which effectively implemented population control programmes must not be penalised,” he added.
The Chief Minister also took aim at his political rival, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, accusing him of remaining silent on the delimitation issue. Stalin alleged that the AIADMK leader’s stance amounted to a “betrayal” of Tamil Nadu’s interests and claimed he was indirectly facilitating the entry of the BJP into the state’s political landscape.
Reiterating the DMK’s position, Stalin invoked the party’s slogan—“Tamil Nadu poraadum, Tamil Nadu vellum” (Tamil Nadu will struggle, Tamil Nadu will win)—asserting that the state would continue to fight for its rights.
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