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While Congress and DMK celebrate the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill’s fall, BJP and AIADMK paint a picture of missed historical milestones and impending electoral irrelevance
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Lok Sabha’s Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. File image/X
The political fallout following the collapse of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill has ignited a fierce rhetorical war between the INDIA bloc and the NDA, specifically targeting the electorate of Tamil Nadu. Lok Sabha’s Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi took to social media to frame the bill’s defeat as a victory for federalism and regional identity. He argued that the proposed delimitation exercise was a calculated attempt by the BJP to diminish the parliamentary representation of Southern and Northeastern states. By linking the women’s reservation quota to a fresh seat-sharing map, Gandhi claimed the government was launching an “attack on the idea of India”, asserting that the INDIA bloc’s intervention saved Tamil Nadu from being penalised for its successful population control measures.
This narrative was met with a blistering counter-attack from Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). Sitharaman accused the DMK-led bloc of “blind hate” and “short-sightedness”, suggesting that Chief Minister MK Stalin has effectively robbed the women of Tamil Nadu of a historic opportunity for representation. She framed the opposition’s stance as an anti-women manoeuvre that ignored the personal assurances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding a “win-win” proposition for the South. According to Sitharaman, the refusal to engage with the reform has damaged the long-term prospects of the state in exchange for immediate political posturing.
Sitharaman shared a social media post of AIADMK’s Edappadi Karuppa Palaniswami (EPS), who deepened the critique by highlighting the potential mathematical loss for Tamil Nadu in the years to come. He pointed out that while a 2011 Census-based delimitation might have cost the state nine MP seats, the delay caused by the bill’s defeat means the exercise will now likely be based on the 2026 Census, potentially resulting in an even more drastic reduction of the state’s influence. EPS labelled MK Stalin a “puppet” within the INDIA bloc, accusing the DMK of killing the spirit of women’s empowerment that had been championed by the late J Jayalalithaa as far back as 1998. He questioned what exactly the state government was celebrating, framing the legislative stalemate as a “great injustice” that traded future political leverage for a temporary symbolic victory.
While the Congress and DMK celebrate the preservation of existing seat ratios as a win for “India’s unity and diversity”, the BJP and AIADMK are painting a picture of missed historical milestones and impending electoral irrelevance. This high-octane exchange sets the stage for a deeply polarised campaign in Tamil Nadu, where the 2029 general elections will likely be fought on whether the defeat of the 131st Amendment was a shield for state rights or a self-inflicted wound for gender justice and regional growth.
April 18, 2026, 18:10 IST
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