PM Modi’s bid to weaponise women’s quota has boomeranged: MK Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misusing the women's reservation issue to target Opposition parties during elections. Stalin alleged that Modi’s April 18 televised address violated the Model Code of Conduct, calling it a political speech rather than an official prime ministerial address.

Hosur: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bid to use the women’s quota as a weapon against the Opposition parties, amidst polls in states, including Tamil Nadu, has boomeranged on him.

Addressing an election rally here, Stalin flayed PM Modi for allegedly bashing the Opposition during his televised address to the nation on April 18 on the Women’s Reservation issue.

---

Hence, it would be apt to describe that address as “BJP leader Modi’s political speech rather than saying that it was the prime minister’s address,” Stalin alleged.

Despite the tricolour forming the backdrop to the address and when the Model Code of Conduct was in force due to polls, Modi chose his address to slam opposition parties, he said.

Stalin, also the DMK president, alleged: “What must have been spoken in an election rally has been spoken by the prime minister in an official government address, and this is a blatant violation of rules. He has been speaking like this as he was tense due to the first defeat of the government in Parliament (in the constitutional amendment bill issue).”

PM Modi thought that the DMK would not focus its attention on the delimitation matter if the bill was brought in the Parliament amidst polls.

“The outcome was, however, just the opposite. The people of the southern states are on the boil, and a huge defeat has been confirmed for his (NDA) alliance,” Stalin said.

Hence, in order to do “damage control,” Modi has been trying to “unfairly target” the Opposition parties by alleging that they scuttled the women’s reservation.

“Even this has not worked. The weapon that he tried to aim at us (Opposition parties, including the DMK) during polls has boomeranged on him,” Stalin claimed.

Furthermore, he said, “PM Modi, it is too late. The National Democratic Alliance’s chapter was closed on April 17 (when the bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha). We have made the NDA bite the dust in Parliament, where it has a majority. When that is the fact, imagine what will happen in Tamil Nadu to the BJP, where it does not even have a toehold.”

Continuing, he said, “I am telling this only after meeting the people. The Dravidian model government’s schemes have reached all the towns and cities. Wherever I go, I can find beneficiaries of the DMK government’s welfare schemes”.

The DMK chief alleged that the “BJP is a destructive force” and if it was allowed inside, Tamil Nadu would cease to exist and there would be no state-based political parties either.

He alleged: “The NDA will divide Tamil Nadu on religious lines, it will impose Hindi and it will make the TN people powerless refugees by implementing the delimitation exercise. It will reduce Tamil Nadu to a union territory like Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.”

The Constitution Amendment Bill’s defeat has proven that only the DMK could protect the rights of Tamil Nadu and because of that achievement, he stood with pride before the people.

While Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge took part in the meeting here and spoke in Kannada seeking votes for the DMK and its allies, Stalin hailed the top leader of the grand old party as the “foundation for the continuation of the Secular Progressive Alliance in such a robust manner.”

It may be recalled that Kharge reportedly strongly advocated that the Congress party must continue its alliance with the DMK for the 2026 Assembly polls as well when a section of the party leaders wanted to have ties with the fledgling TVK.

On April 18, while he campaigned in Coimbatore, Rahul Gandhi was in Tiruvallur and Cauvery delta region of Tiruchirappalli, the CM said. On April 20, when he will be in Chennai, Gandhi will be campaigning in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli, he said.

Hours later, the chief minister held a roadshow in Chennai, seeking support for the DMK-led alliance in the April 23 Assembly polls.