Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), April 19 (NationPress) Anbumani Ramadoss, the leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), vehemently criticized the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its coalition partners during a press briefing on Sunday. He accused them of sabotaging what he described as the “Women’s Reservation Bill” in Parliament, labeling it the “most significant betrayal to women”.

During the press conference, Anbumani pointed to the failure of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill on April 17 in Parliament. This legislation was associated with the delimitation process and aimed at reallocating Lok Sabha seats in accordance with the 2011 Census, which he argued would have enabled better representation for women.

He alleged that the DMK was the main obstacle to the Bill's passage, stating that women in Tamil Nadu would “never forgive” the party, equating their actions to “female foeticide.” Anbumani also took aim at Chief Minister M. K. Stalin for burning a copy of the Bill in protest, demanding legal repercussions against him.

He contended that had the legislation been approved, Tamil Nadu could have seen a marked increase in female representation in the legislature, projecting that by 2031, the State could have had approximately 20 women Members of Parliament out of 59 seats and up to 117 women MLAs.

Challenging the DMK’s position, he questioned why the Chief Minister opposed a 50% increase in parliamentary constituencies nationwide. Referencing comments from Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, Anbumani maintained that Tamil Nadu would gain from an enlarged number of Lok Sabha seats, similar to northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

He further accused the DMK of neglecting women's safety issues while simultaneously resisting initiatives aimed at boosting their political representation. Anbumani also criticized the Chief Minister for making personal attacks against him and Edappadi K. Palaniswami, rather than focusing on governance achievements.

Discussing political dynamics, he noted that the late Vijayakanth had established the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) to challenge the DMK and welcomed recent critiques of the government by party leader Premalatha Vijayakanth.

On the actor-politician Vijay, who leads the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Anbumani remarked that while the party may achieve a notable vote share, the likelihood of securing seats remains slim. He urged Vijay’s supporters to avoid “wasting” their votes and to instead lend their support to the AIADMK-led alliance to defeat the DMK.