‘Reservation is our birthright’: DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian

Joining the debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian drew attention to a crucial factor that was missing in the proposed legislation. She said that the Bill neither spoke about the inclusion of the LGBTQI+ community nor for persons with disabilities. She also questioned why the Bill was introduced in Hindi.

She also addressed the widespread concern regarding the clause in the Bill that states that the process of delimitation must be carried out before the Bill can be implemented. “After a tumultuous journey, the Bill has been tabled. I thought that the Bill was finally seeing the light of day but not even the end of the tunnel is visible because of the loopholes in the Bill. There is no special quota for physically challenged women for the inclusion of the bill, which is a great loophole. Inclusivity for he queer community is a total grey area in the Bill,” she pointed out.

Calling the clause a “utopian promise”, Thamizhachi added, “Delimitation is scheduled for 2026. And the census that was scheduled for 2021 never took place. It is clear that the Bill is an electoral agenda for the government. Just a carrot before a rabbit to lure women voters. But women of India are clever enough to decipher what is right and wrong and they will definitely vote for the INDIA alliance.” She also added that the Bill should be implemented as quickly as possible before the 2024 elections. “If done, it will be a small step for women, but a large one for womankind,” she said.

Thamizhachi also asked why the Bill was introduced in Hindi as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and not in English. She added that, “When you speak of ‘nari shakthi’ why was the President not invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament?”.

It may be recalled, the new Parliament building was inaugurated on May 28 in the midst of controversy. Nineteen Opposition parties, including the DMK, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and others, boycotted the event, protesting that it is inappropriate for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lead the inauguration instead of President Droupadi Murmu, as is custom. The Union government decision not to invite her was also seen as a sidelining of India’s first Adivasi president.

Underlining her own “fears, anxieties and doubts”, she said that she was disappointed with the bill. “I opened the Bill with huge expectations that it will lead women to untrodden paths… But again I ended up hugely disappointed. It is like a post dated cheque in a bankrupt bank,” she said.

The DMK leader said, “The Women’s Reservation Bill is a matter of right and not a favour. And with all humility and dignity, reservation is our birthright.” She added that there were empowered women in Tamil Nadu back in the Sangam era and Tamil literature spoke about women’s rights.

Thamizhachi in Parliament further said on Wednesday that Tamil Nadu was a “model state”, and added, “This bill has been perpetuated by many political parties but it was seeded in the Tamil soil by the Dravidian movement and nurtured by the Dravidian trio of Periyar, Anna [Durai] and Kalaignar [M Karunanidhi] and also our CM Stalin.”

Thamizhachi went on to list some of the schemes in the state that benefit women, saying, “In the Dravidian model all schemes have reservation for women. For example women have equal rights to family properties, there is 50% reservation for women in local body elections, 40% reservation for women in government jobs, free travel in buses and now the recent Kalaignar Magalir Uthavi Thogai that provides Rs 1000 to nearly one crore women.”