CHENNAI: Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday urged women in Tamil Nadu to “teach a lesson” to the DMK-Congress alliance, accusing it of denying women their rightful share in political representation. His remarks came in the context of the opposition parties defeating the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to redistribute Lok Sabha seats on the basis of the 2011 census to expedite the implementation of women’s reservation.
Goyal said he was “shocked” that the DMK leadership was celebrating the denial of greater representation for women in Parliament. He alleged that the Bills were defeated due to the “selfish politics” of the DMK-Congress combine. Arguing for an increase in parliamentary seats, he noted that the current strength of 543 MPs was fixed when India’s population was around 55 crore, compared to about 140 crore now.
Increasing the number of seats, along with implementing women’s reservation, would make the Parliament more representative and accessible, he said, adding that MPs would be able to better connect with voters. Goyal further alleged rifts within the opposition ranks, claiming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had avoided sharing a stage with Stalin. He said Rahul was concerned about potential backlash if Udhayanidhi were to become CM, in light of his earlier remarks on Sanatana Dharma.