Published Apr 18, 2026 | 9:40 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 18, 2026 | 9:40 AM
Kanimozhi questioned the BJP’s new-found urgency in pushing the women’s reservation bill.
Synopsis: DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday said the delimitation and 131st Constitution Amendment Bill and Union Territories Laws Bill are “the single greatest assault on the Indian federal structure” and accused the Centre of using women as “human shields” for its political goals. She said the bills give the executive wide powers, create uncertainty over seat allocation, and could punish southern states for their achievements in human development indices. She also questioned the need to tie women’s reservation to delimitation, and highlighted contradictions between Home Minister Amit Shah’s assurances and the text of the three bills.
DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has termed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, as “the single greatest assault on the Indian federal structure”, accusing the Centre of using India’s women as “human shields” for its own ambitions.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Friday, 17 April, the second day of the special session of Parliament convened to pass the three contentious bills, the Thoothukudi MP laid out a detailed criticism of the NDA government’s stated objectives, noting a gulf between its claims and the text of the three bills.
“Today, Tamil Nadu’s fertility rate is lower than France, lower than Australia, lower than the United States. We have completed what demographers call a demographic transition. Our population is stable. Our women are educated. By every measure of human development, Tamil Nadu is a success story the country has to be proud of,” she said.
“But what does the Union government say to the family in Tamil Nadu? It says, sorry, you made the wrong choice. You made a mistake by listening to us, because you cared about this country, because you put the country first. You have to suffer. We are going to reduce your representation.”
“The women of this country have been starved of political power for decades, for centuries. There is a loaf of bread in front of us. We are saying they are starving, share it with us. But the government is saying, no, you cannot disturb this loaf, we cannot touch it. Wait, we will bake a huge cake, and then bring it and give you a small portion of that. How does that make any sense?”
She said Tamil Nadu’s population has risen by only 15 percent since 1971, while Uttar Pradesh’s has risen by 120 percent. Based on the 2011 figures, she said Uttar Pradesh would gain 13 seats, while Tamil Nadu stands to lose 11.
“Contrary to what the Home Minister said yesterday, Clause 4 of the Delimitation Bill clearly states that the allocation of seats will be on the basis of the latest Census figures. The Home Minister says one thing, the Bill says another. But the Home Minister yesterday told us that by increasing seats by 50 percent, Tamil Nadu will gain 39 seats, and Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats, will gain 59,” she said.
“Our ideological leader, Periyar, taught us that justice is not giving every person the same thing. Justice is giving every person what they need and what they deserve. But unfortunately, your government thinks that what it needs and what it deserves is what the whole nation needs and deserves.”
Also Read: Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin demands withdrawal of delimitation Bill, freeze of delimitation
Kanimozhi raised two legal concerns about the proposed bills, focusing on vague wording that gives the executive wide latitude.
“The Constitution Bill says that the delimitation will be based on such Census as Parliament may, by law, determine. This is vague and leaves everything open. This literally means that whichever party has a majority in Parliament gets to decide which Census is used to draw the electoral map of this country,” she said.
“Today, you might choose the 2001 Census. Tomorrow, you can choose 2031, and the day after, it can be 1991. This shows a non-application of mind, or a mind determined to push its own agenda on this country. The Delimitation Commission will be chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge, appointed entirely by the Union government, with no consultation with the Chief Justice of India, no consultation with any state government, and no parliamentary confirmation.”
She also flagged a contradiction in Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim on Thursday that the delimitation process would see a uniform 50 percent increase in seats across states.
“I want to know what happens when the Delimitation Commission does not agree with the Home Minister’s suggestion,” she asked.
“Are you going to bulldoze the Delimitation Commission as well, like what you are used to doing, or will the government then challenge the orders of the Delimitation Commission? Because Clause 10(2) of the Delimitation Bill says that, once the orders of the Commission are published, they cannot be questioned in any court.”
She said the process leaves no space for states to have any decision-making role.
“As per Clause 5 of the Delimitation Bill, the states get so-called associate members, five MPs and five MLAs, who are not allowed to vote, who are not allowed to sign the Commission’s decisions, and are not allowed to do anything except sit and watch from the wings.”
She then set out different possible outcomes for Tamil Nadu’s representation.
“At present, we have 39 seats. As per these Bills, which say that the 2011 Census will be followed, it will become 32 seats if there is no change to the total of 543 seats. If the maximum number of seats is increased to 850, as the Home Minister told us yesterday, Tamil Nadu will gain seats accordingly. But if the seats are increased by 50 percent across the states, as the Home Minister says, it will be around 59 seats,” she said.
“Now I ask the Home Minister, which of these scenarios will happen? Will it be based on the 2011 Census, or an expansion to 850 seats, or the 50 percent increase he mentioned? These are three different outcomes. We would like clarity on what will actually happen.”
Kanimozhi then said many assurances the NDA government has given in Parliament have not been fulfilled.
“We have seen in this House, in many debates, that many promises have been made and many assurances given, and all of them have melted into the polluted air of Delhi. Nothing has seen the light of day,” she said.
“We request you to bring these assurances into the Bill and make them part of the law. Data shows that nearly 80 to 90 percent of the assurances given by this government on the floor of the House are never fulfilled.”
Pointing to the requirement that any constitutional amendment must also be ratified by states, she said the bills should first be placed before state legislatures.
“Where should we go to seek fair delimitation in such a situation? Where is our guarantee? Article 368 of the Constitution says that amendments affecting the representation of states in Parliament must be ratified by at least half of the state legislatures, not just passed by Parliament but ratified by the states,” she said.
“If this government is so confident that the Delimitation Bill is fair, why do you not place these Bills before the Tamil Nadu legislature, before the Karnataka legislature, or before any state legislature? If the government truly believes in cooperative federalism, a slogan it has used a thousand times on different stages, why are you running away from the state legislatures? Have you even called for a meeting?”
Also Read: ‘A panic reaction’: Rahul Gandhi says opposition will defeat ‘anti-national’ delimitation bill
Kanimozhi also questioned the BJP’s new-found urgency in pushing the women’s reservation bill.
“The government passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in September 2023 with great fanfare. The Prime Minister called it a civilisational commitment. But they put a condition in that very Act: women’s reservation would only come into effect after the Census,” she said.
“Yesterday, you told us that giving women their rights and bringing these Bills is of utmost urgency. You say you cannot even wait for two weeks. But you came to power in 2014. The entire Opposition has been requesting you to bring the Women’s Reservation Bill.”
She pointed to “thousands” of demands by Opposition leaders over the past decade to pass a women’s reservation bill, which she said fell on deaf ears.
“For more than a decade, you did not see or understand the urgency. But today, you cannot even wait for two weeks, and you want us to believe that you care about women’s lives. This is not constitutional reform. This is an electoral rescue strategy for you in these states, because you are not going to do well in most of them,” she said.
“The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, the Women’s Reservation Act, was welcomed by most Opposition parties here, and the DMK welcomed it. But we said then, and we are saying now, tying the Women’s Reservation Bill to delimitation is a trap. It was designed so that you could never have one without the other, so that the BJP can say, if you oppose delimitation, then you are opposing women’s rights. If you oppose the reduction of Tamil Nadu’s representation, you are against women.”
She also questioned Home Minister Amit Shah about the need for delimitation to implement reservation if the government truly cared about the issue.
“Why can you not simply amend Article 334A to remove the delimitation precondition? Why can you not give one-third reservation to women in the existing constituencies, through rotation, starting from the 2029 election, without delimitation?” she asked.
“The women of this country have been starved of political power for decades, for centuries. There is a loaf of bread in front of us. We are saying they are starving, share it with us. But the government is saying, no, you cannot disturb this loaf, we cannot touch it. Wait, we will bake a huge cake, and then bring it and give you a small portion of that. How does that make any sense?”
Kanimozhi urged the Union government to withdraw the bills and consult the states.
“Withdraw these three Bills immediately and refer them to a Joint Parliamentary Committee that includes representation from all states and all parties.”
“Do not rush a 25-year electoral framework through a special session in 48 hours.”
“Convene a constitutional conference of all State Chief Ministers to deliberate on the delimitation framework before any legislation is enacted.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
