"Anyone who supports delimitation is betraying Tamil Nadu": Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi argued that the process is designed to weaken Tamil Nadu and calls upon all political parties, both regional and national, to defeat the bill in the House.

Amid the buzz over the Delimitation Bill being brought back in Parliament, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sharply criticised those in support of the Bill, characterising delimitation as a conspiracy to disenfranchise the people of Tamil Nadu and strip the State of its political power. Addressing reporters, the Congress MP argued that the process is designed to weaken Tamil Nadu and calls upon all political parties, both regional and national, to defeat the bill in the House.

"There is an attempt by the BJP to carry out delimitation. Delimitation is designed to disenfranchise people and take away the political power of the people of Tamil Nadu. This is a BJP conspiracy...Anyone who supports delimitation is betraying Tamil Nadu, betraying the future of Tamil Nadu, and allowing the RSS and BJP to attack the people of Tamil Nadu and its future," he told reporters. He referred to the historical figure Ettappan, who is traditionally seen in Tamil culture as a symbol of betrayal, to label those who support the current delimitation proposal as "21st-century Ettappans" who are betraying the future of the state.

"Such a person is a 21st-century "Ettappan". No Tamil person should support delimitation. Every Tamil person should oppose delimitation. Every Tamil party and every national party should defeat delimitation in the House," he said. His assertion comes amid speculations around the Centre bringing back the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha up to 850 and implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures. The speculations are fueled by the political mergers which took place before the Monsoon Session began.

Reports have also suggested that DMK, which currently has a tense relationship with its previous ally, Congress, have sofeneted their view of the Bill if southern states are not affected DMK leader TKS Elangovan has said that the government is trying to again bring the delimitation bill linked to women's reservation in Parliament, saying that political parties have various suggestions and seats of southern states in the Lok Sabha should not be affected." (ANI)