Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay
amil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay moved a resolution in the Assembly against the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies on Wednesday, even though he firmly backed women's reservation, urging the Centre to implement it within the existing 543 seats. The TVK chief warned that the representation of southern states such as Tamil Nadu, which have successfully implemented population-control measures, could be hit if delimitation is carried out on the basis of population.
The resolution comes amid the Centre's renewed push to get support for the delimitation bill, which it has linked to the implementation of women's reservation in Parliament and state assemblies. Over the past week, there has been strong buzz that the Centre might table the constitutional amendment bill on the last two days of the Monsoon session.
VIJAY'S 3 KEY DEMANDS ON DELIMITATION
The resolution moved by the TVK had three key demands: permanently maintain the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats; make seats currently allocated to each state permanent; and ensure a 33% reservation for women in state assemblies.
"If the (delimitation) bill is passed, the representation for southern states, which successfully implemented population control, will suffer. There is a necessity to freeze the numbers," Vijay said.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposed lifting the freeze on expanding the number of Lok Sabha seats, was defeated by a united opposition when it was tabled in April. The bill sought to redraw constituencies based on the 2011 Census.
Tamil Nadu and other southern states have argued that linking the delimitation exercise to population would unfairly benefit the North, where population growth has been higher.
Vijay underlined that southern states had followed population-control policies successfully. The Chief Minister also called for maintaining the existing 2.2:1 ratio between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha representation.
"Keeping Tamil Nadu in front, I request the parties here to unanimously endorse the resolution," Vijay said.
VIJAY ON WOMEN'S RESERVATION
The Chief Minister also pressed the Centre for the early implementation of the women's reservation law. In a veiled swipe at the BJP government, Vijay pointed out that the legislation had already been passed in Parliament, but its implementation had been delayed.
He said the delay in implementing the quota amounted to denying women their political rights. The TVK chief began his speech in the Assembly with a personal message.
"The major reason who Vijay was before and who Vijay is now is because of the women in my family," he said.
Pointing out that Tamil Nadu had a higher share of women voters than men, Vijay underlined the need for "equal political rights" and "reservation" for women.
"When a nation gets a good name is when the community treats women right," Vijay said, highlighting the contributions of women in Tamil Nadu's history and their role in the freedom struggle.
"For such worthy women, there needs to be reservation in politics as well," he further said.
While the Left parties supported the TVK government's resolution, the BJP opposed it. The DMK previously told India Today that it had always opposed delimitation and would continue doing so.
For More News Updates Follow Us On www.tconews.in
