'Strongly support but...': Stalin questions 33% women's quota; demands fair delimitation

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday raised suspicion over the 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, saying the Centre's eagerness for an early rollout in the midst of assembly elections including in Tamil Nadu appears to be an attempt to shape electoral narratives.

Stalin cited previous instances when the Centre tried to 'influence' women voters ahead of the 2024 Parliament elections.

In a length post on X titled 'This is not reform, this is reengineering power', Stalin wrote - "We strongly support 33 per cent reservation for women. Our support is absolute. But it must be implemented without increasing seats and without punishing states that acted responsibly. If the intent is genuine, nothing prevents immediate implementation within the existing framework."

Demanding fair delimitation, he alleged there was complete opacity on the basis for delimitation and asked would the exercise rely on 1971 figures from a pre–population control era or the 2021 Census.

"Conflicting signals and vague assurances only deepen suspicion." This move would also impose a massive financial burden on states, forcing them to expand or rebuild Legislative Assemblies, all without proper consultation.

"This is a direct assault on cooperative federalism. This is not reform, it is a unilateral, politically driven exercise designed to concentrate power, weaken Parliament, marginalise the South, and undermine social justice," he said. "The nation deserves answers: why this undue haste, why shift the goalposts, and who truly stands to benefit."

The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is systematically eroding the very foundations of Parliament, he alleged.

"What should be a vibrant forum for debate and accountability is being reduced to a hollow ritual, a stage where members may not even get fair time to speak or represent their people. This proposal to increase seats is a direct contradiction of their own slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. It will only inflate expenditure, burden taxpayers, and dilute the quality of parliamentary functioning."

"This also went against the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines India as a Union of States. Ignoring the voices of states and bypassing meaningful consultation is not democratic - it is unitary overreach that undermines the country's federal and plural character," Stalin said.

More alarmingly, this exercise will blatantly skew representation and tilt the balance of power in favour of northern states dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while silencing the voice of south India, he claimed.

"As forcefully pointed out by veteran leader Siddaramaiah (Karnataka CM), this is not a neutral exercise; it is a calculated political restructuring. Northern states stand to gain nearly double the (Parliamentary) seats, while the South's share stagnates at around 24 per cent. This is nothing short of penalising states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Keralam and Telangana for their success in population control."

Stalin also pointed out that Chief Ministers across the South, including Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala) and A Revanth Reddy (Telangana) have warned that this move will distort federalism and concentrate power in a few regions.

PM Modi said on Thursday that the proposed amendments to the Women Reservation Act are not just a legislative exercise but a reflection of the aspirations of crores of women across India and urged all MPs to come together to support this significant move.

He had last week announced an extension of the Budget session of Parliament by three days, from April 16 to 18, so that the Women's Reservation Act can be amended for its implementation from 2029.