Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of attempting to 'hide delimitation' behind a women's bill introduced in Parliament, alleging the move was aimed at weakening the political representation of southern, smaller and northeastern states.
Addressing a gathering during a brief visit to Chennai to campaign for party candidates, Gandhi said the BJP's move was aimed at reducing Tamil Nadu's representation in the Union of India and weakening the strength of southern states, small states and northeastern states.
Gandhi claimed that the Opposition blocked the move, saying, 'We defeated the bill to defend the idea of India. It is written in the Constitution that India, that is Bharat, is a union of states. Every state should have a voice and be free to express its language and protect its traditions.'
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, 'When the Prime Minister speaks of one nation, one leader, one language, one people, he attacks the Constitution of India. Please understand what the BJP and RSS are trying to do.'
Gandhi alleged the BJP was attempting to undermine Tamil identity and wanted a 'compliant' leadership in the state. He announced a set of welfare promises, including ₹2,000 monthly aid for women, senior citizens and differently abled persons, scholarships for students, ₹2,500 as food security support and filling government vacancies within 300 days.
