‘Delimitation is sword hanging over south India’s head’: DMK MP Kanimozhi in Parliament

Debating the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Parliament on Wednesday, September 20, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi said that the bill was “shrouded in secrecy,” and questioned if this is how the government will be functioning in the country. She also expressed concern about the indefinite delay in proposing the Bill and made critical comments on the delimitation exercise. The Women’s Reservation Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha, a day earlier..Kanimozhi said that instead of the Bill being passed after a discussion, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken this as an opportunity for politicking. “Despite all this when the government brought the Bill, our minds were full of happiness,” she said and quoted Tamil poet Bharathiyar ‘We have come to make laws and to rule. Now we are equals. Let us cherish it’.Addressing the issue of delimitation having to take place before the Bill can be implemented, Kanimozhi expressed concern that there might be an indefinite delay in implementing the Bill. “In 2010, when the Bill was brought by the UPA [United Progressive Alliance] government, there were no conditions. The Bill was to take effect immediately after it was passed. But clause 5 of the Bill that was introduced yesterday clearly says, ‘the reservation of seats for women n the House of the People, in the legislative assemblies of the state and the national capital region of the Delhi will come into effect after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken for this purpose and after the relevant figures for the first census is taken after the commencement of the Constitution.” This means that the delimitation will be undertaken according to the data of the first census that shall be conducted after the Amendment becomes law. In effect, the upcoming general elections in 2024 or the various state Assembly elections lined up for the coming months will not see seats reserved for women. Referring to a statement by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on the matter of delimitation, she quoted him saying, “India is the only country that has not conducted the decadal census. If delimitation is going to be based on population census, it will deprive and reduce the representation of south Indian states. It will become like a sword hanging over our heads.”.Further, she said, “He [Stalin] has said that he will support the Bill, but has asked, ‘why should the implementation of the Bill be connected to delimitation? It is a strange drama staged by the BJP, keeping in mind the 2024 elections. We cannot forget the representation of women from the backwards classes either. And he has emphasised the doubts of the people of Tamil Nadu and other south Indian states regarding the reduction of representation. He has said that these doubts should be clarified.’” Kanimozhi, adding her support to Stalin’s statement, said that the current status quo must be maintained, “so that we get equal say in what is being discussed.” Kanimozhi also criticised the manner in which the Bill was introduced and the calling for a special session of Parliament, without declaring the agenda. “I’ve raised the issue of the Bill many times in Parliament. To all my starred and unstarred questions the government’s answer was consistent. They said they have to consult all stakeholders and political parties and build a consensus before bringing in the Bill.”“I would like to know what consensus was built? What discussions were held? This Bill was brought, shrouded in secrecy. We did not know why this session was called for. In the all-party leaders meeting, there was no mention of this Bill. But suddenly the bill popped up on our screens. Is this how the government is going to function? Is everything going to be a surprise?”, she asked.The DMK leader further recalled the history of affirmative action to bring women into political power such as the election of the first woman legislator, Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, in the country, that happened in 1927 in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. “But nearly 100 years after that, we still haven’t passed the Bill. In 1929, Periyar, in the Self Respect Conference in Chengalpattu, passed a resolution insisting on reservation for women in education, employment and politics. The Women’s Reservation Bill was first brought by the United Front government in 1996, with the support of the DMK. The then Prime Minister Deva Gowda brought the Bill to parliament. Then against former prime minister Vajpayee brought the Bill to Parliament, but it was the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2010 that passed the Bill in the Rajya Sabha.” Stating that she spoke about the Bill in the Parliament 13 years ago, she added that she is speaking again about the BIll and it is still being debated.With regard to the name of the Bill, Kanimozhi said. “Please stop the tokenism. This Bill is called Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Stop saluting us. We do not want to be saluted. We do not want to be put on pedestals. We do not want to be worshipped. We don’t want to be called mothers, we don’t want to be your sisters or wives. We want to be equals. Let us climb down from the pedestal and walk as equals. We have a right to this country as much as you have a right. This country belongs to us and this Parliament belongs to us. We have a right to be here.”During Wednesday’s debate, even before the DMK leader started speaking, she was heckled by some of the House members, to which she responded by saying, “I am reminded of what Periyar said when I see the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] heckling us. ‘The pretence of men that they respect women and that they strive for their freedom is only a ruse to deceive them.’”

‘Delimitation is sword hanging over south India’s head’: DMK MP Kanimozhi in Parliament

Related Stories