Rahul Gandhi Slams Women's Bill Over 'Hidden' Delimitation, Says PM Modi Wants To 'Rule TN From Delhi'

Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of attempting to push a delimitation agenda hidden within the Women's Reservation Bill, which he alleged was to reduce representation from southern and smaller states in Parliament.

LoP Rahul Gandhi bashed Centre's Women's Quota Bill, alleging that the delimitation part in it was "hidden".

Source : PTI

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of wanting to rule Tamil Nadu from Delhi.
• He alleged the Women's Reservation Bill hid a delimitation agenda.
• Gandhi claimed this hidden agenda aimed to weaken southern states' representation.
• He asserted Tamil Nadu's future should be decided by its people.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addressed a public gathering in Tamil Nadu's Ponneri on Saturday, where he slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he wanted to "rule Tamil Nadu from Delhi". He continued to attack the Centre over the defeated Women's Reservation Bill, claiming that the delimitation part in it was "hidden".

The Lok Sabha LoP accused the Centre of attempting to push a delimitation agenda “hidden” within a proposed women’s bill, claiming it was aimed at reducing representation of southern and smaller states in Parliament.

Referring to recent proceedings in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said the government had already passed a women’s reservation law in 2023, questioning the intent behind introducing a similar bill again.

“Yesterday in Parliament, they came out with this new bill. They said they were trying to pass a women's bill. But they had already passed the women's bill in 2023. So, hidden behind the women's bill yesterday was delimitation. They had hidden delimitation behind the women's bill. Their plan was to reduce the representation of Tamil Nadu in Parliament—to weaken the strength of southern states, to weaken the strength of small states, to weaken the strength of northeastern states. And we defeated that bill yesterday in Parliament House...,” Rahul Gandhi said at the Ponneri rally.

Ponneri, Tamil Nadu: Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi says, "...Like yesterday in Parliament, they came out with this new bill. They said they were trying to pass a women's bill. But they had already passed the women's bill in 2023. So, hidden behind the women's bill yesterday was… pic.twitter.com/KOcdvz6Cs9

— IANS (@ians_india) April 18, 2026

He further intensified his criticism of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of attempting to centralise power. 

“Narendra Modi and Amit Shah believe that Tamil Nadu should be ruled by Delhi. They believe that the CM of Tamil Nadu should report to them. They believe that the future of Tamil Nadu should be decided by them. We believe that the people of Tamil Nadu should decide the future of Tamil Nadu,” Gandhi said.

 "When the prime minister says 'one nation, one leader, one language, one people', he attacks the Constitution of India," he added. 

Rahul Gandhi also said that India that is Bharat, is a union of states, and every single state should have a voice, be free to express itself, and protect its tradition. 

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