Anti-BJP forces should unite in every state for 2024 elections: Stalin

Chennai: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to establish a “single-party rule” in India through a unitary policy, DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday appealed to anti-BJP parties to rise above “minor differences” and form a “united alliance” in every state like the one in Tamil Nadu. 

Stalin also alleged that the BJP drafted the Women’s Reservation Bill with an “ulterior motive” to ensure that 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and state legislatures does not actually materialize by putting several riders like completion of population census and delimitation for its implementation. 

Sharing the stage with Congress’ Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti among other leaders from I.N.D.I.A bloc at the Women’s Rights Conference organised by DMK women’s wing, Stalin also pitched the need for a quota within the 33 per cent reservation for OBC and minority women to ensure that the voices of the marginalised and economically disadvantaged resonate in Assemblies and Parliament. 

“We must interpret this not merely as a political gambit by the BJP, but potentially as a broader conspiracy. When these discrepancies are highlighted, the Prime Minister resorts to deflective commentary. He accuses us of dividing women along caste lines. Yet, everyone is well aware of who perpetuates divisions based on caste and religion,” he said.

In her speech, Sonia accused the Modi government of making a “sustained effort” to turn women “purely into symbols”, to be counted and appreciated only in their restricted traditional roles in a patriarchal framework. 

“Just as in every other frontier of rights, freedoms, equity, and equality, so also in the case of women, all the remarkable gains of the last 70 years have disappeared,” she said

She expressed the confidence that parties of the I.N.D.I.A alliance “can and will take the urgent steps needed to make women’s equality a reality". 

Stalin and Sonia pointed out that the Women’s Reservation Bill introduced by the UPA-II government and passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 pushed for immediate implementation unlike the riders imposed by the current regime. 

Contending that the BJP can be defeated only through unity, Stalin said a united alliance, like the one in Tamil Nadu, should be formed in every state across India and asked the women leaders present at the meeting to relay this message to their party leaders.

“Defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party is the historical imperative of every democratic force in India. Under BJP governance, not just women's rights, the rights of all citizens are being curtailed. Will the Parliamentary system exist? Will Democracy exist? These questions loom large. 

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems intent on establishing a single-party rule under the banners of one nation, one language, one religion, one culture, one election, one exam, and one food. Such a path could ultimately lead to a singular dictatorial power. This is why it's imperative that the BJP is decisively defeated in the upcoming parliamentary elections,” he added. 

Priyanka Gandhi and Mufti spoke about the need for a concerted and joint effort by parties to ensure that the Women’s Reservation Bill gets implemented at the earliest. 

“I demand the immediate implementation of the women’s reservation bill. We, the women of India have no more time to waste. It is our right to be counted in the political process. I demand that our worth is valued and respected as a political instrument for our own empowerment,” Priyanka said.