Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the BJP of trying to “hide demarcation” behind the Women’s Bill introduced in Parliament, and alleged that the move was aimed at diluting the political representation of southern, smaller and north-eastern states.
“Yesterday, in Parliament, they (BJP) came out with this new bill. They said they are trying to pass a women’s bill. But they have already passed the women’s bill in 2023,” Gandhi said while addressing a crowd during a short visit to Chennai to campaign for party candidates.
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He added: “Behind yesterday’s Women’s Bill was the demarcation of boundaries. The idea was to reduce Tamil Nadu’s representation in the Union of India, to weaken the power of the southern states, small states and north-eastern states.”
Claiming that the opposition blocked the move, Gandhi said: “We defeated the bill to defend the idea of India. It is stated in the Constitution that India, i.e. Bharat, is a union of states. Every state should have a voice and be free to express its language and protect its traditions.”
“BJP is undermining Tamil identity”
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: “When the Prime Minister talks about one nation, one leader, one language and one people, he is attacking the Constitution of India. Please understand what the BJP and RSS are trying to do.”
In parallel, Gandhi alleged that the BJP was trying to undermine Tamil identity.
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“They want to attack the Tamil language and destroy Tamil history. The BJP and RSS want to distort Tamil culture, and we will never let them do that,” he said. He described the BJP-RSS as “ignorant” and said they do not understand Tamil identity or its importance. Referring to his visits to the state, Gandhi said that he has a strong relationship with Tamil Nadu even though he is not from the state. “When I see attempts to attack the culture and language of Tamil Nadu, I feel strongly against it,” he said.
He claimed that the BJP wants “compliant” leadership in the state. “They want a chief minister in Tamil Nadu who takes orders from (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi,” he said, adding that the BJP seeks to rule the state from Delhi.
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He also announced a set of social welfare promises, including: $2000 monthly aid for women, the elderly, and people with different abilities, scholarships for students, $2,500 to support food security and fill vacant government jobs within 300 days.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in a single phase on April 23.
