CHENNAI: Former BJP state president K Annamalai on Tuesday criticised Chief Minister M K Stalin, accusing him of creating fear among the public over delimitation and women’s reservation. He said the women’s reservation Bill would be widely accepted and warned that women voters would electorally punish the DMK if it opposed the legislation.
He also took exception to Stalin’s remarks cautioning about large-scale protests akin to those in the 1960s and urged the CM to engage in constructive dialogue with the centre. “Did anyone from the DMK family immolate themselves in the 1960s? They will make their cadre immolate themselves and pay respects to them once a year,” he said.
Questioning the DMK’s track record on women’s reservation in Parliament, Annamalai noted that while the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, it failed to clear the Lok Sabha, with several parties allied to the DMK opposing it.
Referring to the passage of the legislation in 2023, he said Opposition parties, including Congress, had sought immediate implementation, but the centre and the Election Commission of India clarified that it could not be enforced before the 2024 general elections.
Addressing concerns over delimitation, he said Tamil Nadu’s seats could fall from 39 to 31 if based on population. However, he added that the centre has assured that seats for all states would instead be increased to accommodate a 33% reservation for women.
He also added that Stalin should propose a workable formula like Sonia Gandhi and Revanth Reddy, instead of creating “unwarranted tension”.