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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 Centre has not provided clarity on the issue and that the party would oppose any move affecting southern states.
Speaking to reporters after the all-party meeting convened ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Siva said the DMK's stand on the Women's Reservation Bill remained unchanged. "If you are to the women's reservation bill, DMK is for it always. With regard to the delimitation bill, the government has not come out with any clarity. Anything that is being done which will affect the southern states, DMK will never accept. Someone else has told about our party, for which we are not responsible," he said. His remarks came amid discussions surrounding 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 staged a "walkout" from the all-party meeting convened by the government ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament over Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju extending an invitation to the National Citizens Party of India to take part in the meeting. They said the move was against the norms, and the TMC rebel MPs' merger into "so-called NCPI" has not been approved by the Lok Sabha Speaker. Meanwhile, the Monsoon Session of Parliament is set to begin on July 20 and is scheduled to end on August 13. The mergers have ignited speculation 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 NDA is likely to move closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 360 in the House of 540 members, with three seats currently vacant. (ANI)
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