AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday accused the MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu of obstructing the rights of women, days after opposition parties defeated the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha.
Addressing a poll rally in Tiruchengode constituency, Palaniswami claimed the bill was about granting reservation to women in Parliament.
"What exactly did the central government propose? It was a bill granting 33 per cent reservation for women, yet, the DMK defeated this bill. It was the Congress and the DMK that obstructed the rights of the women they were poised to receive," he charged.
He alleged that parties aligned with the DMK lacked commitment to the cause of women's quota while stressing that the AIADMK genuinely desires reservation for women.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi held consultations with us, and we gave our assent, following which he introduced the bill.
"However, the DMK, along with its alliance partners, voted against it and ensured its defeat. Will the women of this state ever forgive them?" he asked.
The BJP-led Centre suffered a major setback on Friday as the Constitution amendment bill proposed by it, seeking to revise the framework governing delimitation and implementation of women's reservation in Parliament, was defeated in the Lok Sabha.
While 298 members voted in support of the bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
Opposition parties have raised concerns regarding the impact of a rushed delimitation on the southern states, with Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin launching protests against the proposed constitutional amendment, calling it a "direct threat."
Palaniswami claimed that the DMK opposed the bill despite the Union Government's "assurances" that TN would not be affected.
According to him, the Centre had assured that TN's share would not decline and could rise from 7.18 per cent to 7.23 per cent with the number of seats proposed to increase from 39 to 59.
"The Centre's stance was entirely favourable to Tamil Nadu," he claimed.
He further accused Stalin of "shattering the dreams of women."
"Teach a fitting lesson to the DMK-Congress alliance, which obstructed the provision of 33% reservation for women in both Parliament and the State Assemblies," he told the gathering.
Regarding the law and order situation in the state, Palaniswami alleged a rise in crime, citing figures attributed by Minister of Social Welfare.
He claimed that 24,000 cases of sexual offenses were registered during the DMK regime and of these, 18,000 involved minor girls and 6,999 were cases registered under the POCSO Act.
"Criminals have no fear of the police, because members of the DMK stand as their accomplices. Just as reports regarding gold prices used to dominate the news in the past, today they are filled with reports of murders, sexual crimes, and drug-related offenses," he added.
Listing out AIADMK election manifesto, Palaniswami said if his party comes to power the rice, which is supplied through ration shops, will be on par with one available in the provision stores.
"We will also increase the pension for weavers from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 per month," he assured and said, "the AIADMK will give priority for education."
(With inputs from PTI)