DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said the party supports the women’s reservation bill, but expressed concern over the lack of clarity from the Center on the delimitation bill. He said that DMK will strongly oppose any step affecting the southern states.
DMK’s stance on women’s reservation and delimitation
New Delhi [भारत]July 19 (ANI): Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Tiruchi Siva on Sunday said his party has always supported the Women’s Reservation Bill, but expressed concern over the proposed Delimitation Bill, saying the Center has not given any clarity on the issue and the party will oppose any move affecting the southern states.
Speaking to reporters after the all-party meeting called ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, Shiva said the DMK’s stand on the Women’s Reservation Bill remains unchanged. He said, “If you talk about the Women’s Reservation Bill, the DMK is always in favor of it. The government has not given any clarity regarding the Delimitation Bill. Anything that will affect the southern states, the DMK will never accept it. Someone else has said something about our party, for which we are not responsible.”
Opposition walkout from all-party meeting
His comments come amid discussions around the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, including issues related to the Women’s Reservation Bill and the proposed Delimitation Bill. Earlier in the day, opposition parties “walked out” of an all-party meeting called by the government ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju invited the National Citizens Party of India to attend the meeting. He said the move is against the norms, and the merger of rebel TMC MPs into the “so-called NCPI” has not been approved by the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Speculation on monsoon session and bills
Meanwhile, the monsoon session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on July 20 and end on August 13. These mergers have fueled speculation of the Center bringing back the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 850 and enact the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023 to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures.
In the 540-member House, in which three seats are currently vacant, the NDA is likely to reach close to the two-thirds majority mark of 360. (ANI)
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