CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister M K Stalin, accusing him of opposing the proposed delimitation exercise and thereby harming Tamil Nadu’s political prospects and women’s representation.
In a post on X, Palaniswami alleged that the state had lost an opportunity to enhance its political strength by gaining up to 20 additional Lok Sabha seats. He claimed that had delimitation been carried out based on the 2011 Census, Tamil Nadu would have lost nine seats, but the DMK government’s opposition could now lead to a greater loss when the exercise is undertaken after the 2026 Census.
Palaniswami further contended that the state had missed a “golden opportunity” offered under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure increased parliamentary representation.
He also accused Stalin of undermining women’s empowerment by opposing legislative measures linked to women’s reservation, recalling that a similar Bill introduced in 1998 during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure did not pass due to opposition from parties now aligned with DMK.
Echoing these views, Sitharaman said Palaniswami had “captured effectively” the consequences of what she termed as the “short-sighted and anti-women” stance of DMK. She alleged that the ruling party’s opposition, driven by political considerations, could result in Tamil Nadu losing out both in terms of parliamentary representation and women’s participation in legislatures.
The finance minister further accused DMK and its allies, including the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi, of allowing “blind opposition politics” to override the state’s long-term interests.
Meanwhile, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss condemned Stalin for allegedly betraying women and then celebrating it as a victory. “The Constitution Amendment Bill providing 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies was not only defeated by bringing together forces opposed to social justice, but its failure – effectively denying women empowerment – was also celebrated by MK Stalin by bursting crackers,” he said.