TIRUPPUR: Describing women’s progress as the success of society, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday proclaimed that “the DMK’s 2.0 rule will be for TN women”, who, according to him, have come a long way since the “days of slavery”, thanks to the Dravidian movement that helped them shed the shackles of servitude and take centre stage.
The CM substantiated it by saying that at a time when women are told to keep their hands off mobiles in some remote place in Rajasthan, the women in Tamil Nadu today “are assembling Apple phones”.
The CM was speaking at the DMK’s women’s wing west zone conference at Karanampettai near Palladam in Tiruppur district.
More than 1.5 lakh women wing cadre from the western districts, including Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, and Nilgiris, participated. Stalin said, “Some are now questioning what this women’s conference is for. The progress of women is the progress of the nation. They need to understand this.”
He said the TN women community has progressed by leaps and bounds. “Women were treated as slaves in our society. The Dravidian movement broke their shackles. In TN, women have played a significant role in the Dravidian movement from its inception. We abolished the Devadasi system. We have enacted a special law and given women property rights.”
Stalin further said, “Even now, women are banned from using mobile phones in certain places in Rajasthan. But in TN, our women are assembling Apple phones. The revolution brought about by the Dravidian movement and our leaders liberated women and helped them progress in life.”
On political participation of women, the CM said, “At present, the participation of women in all political parties is significant. Even in many developed countries, women are still not given importance. But in TN, currently, the majority of corporation mayors are women. This recognition should be available in the state Assembly and the Parliament also.”
Stalin said that due to protests by the DMK, the union government has brought the law to provide 33% reservation for women in legislature but “with unnecessary conditions, and it is unclear when it will come into effect”. It’s like “the operation was a success, but the patient died”, he added.
Criticising the centre, the CM said, “The BJP does not want women to get recognition in the state Assembly and the Parliament. Therefore, they are passing the law formally but causing delays in implementation. My aim is freedom and importance for women. DMK’s 2.0 rule will be for women.”