Chennai: With less than 24 hours to go for the poll bugle to fall silent before Tamil Nadu votes in 234 constituencies on April 23, campaigning by the different fronts peaked on Monday with the focus shifting more towards the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill linked to the proposed delimitation-based reservation for women in parliament and assemblies.
While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who campaigned at three locations deep down south Tamil Nadu, made it a point to attack the BJP for attempting to conceal an “attack on the constitution” in the guise of women’s reservation; the BJP through its allies sought to turn the tables on the DMK-Congress alleging they overran reservations for women.
Amid all this, DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin hit the streets of Chennai along with former Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal to convince the voters in the state capital to back the ruling party. On the other hand, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami chose to campaign in his Edappadi constituency in Salem and Naam Tamilar Katchi leader Seeman, who is going it solo, also hit the road.
Actor Vijay, whose TVK is likely emerging as the biggest disruptor in this elections, undertook a road show in Chennai and its neighbouring district of Tiruvallur.
In Tirunelveli, Rahul Gandhi said: “Just a few days ago in parliament they (BJP) attacked the constitution again. They claimed they were passing a women’s bill. But hidden behind the women’s bill was an attempt to change the electoral map of our country. They were trying to change the number of seats each state gets. They were trying to reduce the representation of south India of north east India and of smaller states. They were attacking the idea of the union of states. And that is why defeated that bill in parliament. And any attempt at weakening the constitution or weakening the representation of any of our people, will meet the same feat, we will defeat it again and again.”
The Congress leader made it clear: “If they want to pass a women’s bill there is a women’s bill that was passed in 2023. that bill clearly says that one-third of seats will be given to women. That bill does not try to redraw the electoral map of India. While passing that bill the bjp said it will be implemented in 10 years. We insisted that it should be implemented immediately. And we repeat that same statement again if the BJP wants a women’s bill, implement the 2023 women’s bill right now and the entire opposition will support you 100 per cent.”
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BJP’s dependable ally from the south and TDP leader-cum-Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu flew down to Coimbatore where he launched a sharp attack on the DMK and Congress accusing the parties of preventing women from getting more seats in parliament and assemblies. He also charged that the two parties had done the South a disservice by depriving the States in the region from a higher share of Lok Sabha seats based on the 2011 census.
Campaigning it to end on Tuesday evening.
