Stalin dubs women's bill 'poll gimmick', asks why Centre didn't prioritise it like bills on Art 370, EWS

DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin dubbed the Women's Reservation Bill in its current form a 'poll gimmick', pointing out that it is 'strange trick' to adopt a bill now for something said to come into force only in 2029, that too following a delimitation exercise on the basis of the yet-to-be held census, for which there is no guaranteed timeframe.

Stalin stressed on the importance of ensuring that there is a quota for women of the Backward Classes and also demanded that the Centre assure the people of Tamil Nadu and the whole of south India that the delimitation exercise would do no harm to the states that have managed to control their population.

"Delimitation is like a Sword of Damocles hanging over the head of Tamil Nadu and south India. The political conspiracy to lower the political representation of south India must be outmanoeuvred."

In a statement here, Stalin referred to delimitation and said that the effort to betray "politically vigilant Tamil Nadu" should be nipped in the bud.

Dubbing the Women's Bill a poll gimmick triggered by the prospect of electoral defeat, the DMK chief said it is a strange trick to adopt a bill now for something that is said to come into force in 2029 following the delimitation exercise on the basis of the yet-to-be-held census, for which there is also no guarantee on when it would be held.

The DMK president demanded to know why the Centre has not shown the same interest in passing the Women's Bill, the way it passed the bills to abrogate Article 370 and to bring in 10 per cent Economically Weaker Sections quota.

People would understand the BJP regime, which is trying to hoodwink them by bringing the bill now, a "political stunt," after being indifferent on the matter for the past nine years.

He said he welcomed the bill and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allay the apprehensions of south Indian people that nothing would go against their interests in the name of delimitation.