M Karunanidhi: Quota for women in local bodies, a diversionary tactic

Chennai: DMK chief M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday said the increase of reservation for women in local bodies to 50 per cent by the AIADMK government is aimed at diverting the demand of majority women for introducing prohibition in the state.

He said “The reservation is much lesser than the expectations of about 3.5 crore women in the state, who want the state government to introduce prohibition”.

Recalling that it was the DMK which provided 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies which resulted in 44,143 local body posts for women, he said increasing it to 50 per cent would lead to about 60,000 women getting posts in local bodies, which is just a rise of 16,000 posts. About 3.5 crore women are living in Tamil Nadu and they are fighting for prohibition.

Listing the achievements of the DMK government for women, he said his party government provided 30 per cent quota for women in government jobs in 1989 and enacted a law in 1990 to give property rights to women.

He said the DMK government appointed women as police constables in 1973.

He also listed the financial assistance for inter-caste marriages and said the DMK government hiked the wages of women working in anganwadis and granted them pension.