Chennai, Apr 17:
AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami accused the ruling DMK of staging protests against the proposed delimitation exercise out of fear of losing the upcoming Assembly elections.
Addressing a campaign rally, Palaniswami said the DMK’s call to hoist black flaghad failed to gain public traction and was being used to create an impression of widespread opposition across Tamil Nadu.
Palaniswami alleged that Chief Minister M K Stalin was projecting artificial resistance on delimitation for electoral advantage. He argued that if the exercise ultimately does not affect Tamil Nadu, the DMK would still attempt to claim credit by saying it had pressured the Centre.
He further claimed that the protests were also intended to stall or dilute national initiatives such as the Women’s Reservation Bill, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures. According to him, such measures would improve the Centre’s popularity among women voters.