'TN defeats Delhi,' says TN CM on Constitution Amendment Bill's defeat in LS
Chennai (PTI): On the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday said, "Tamil Nadu defeats Delhi; TN fought, TN won".
The south stood united and made its voice heard and democracy prevailed, he said.
Though the Centre could have delinked the Women's Reservation Bill and passed it in the Lower House, they chose not to do so and "women are watching", he added.
Reacting to the defeat of the bill, Stalin posted in social media a portrait of him setting on fire a copy of the delimitation bill.
The bill sought to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and also increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha.
DMK leaders distributed sweets and burst firecrackers to celebrate the defeat of the bill in Parliament.
Stalin said: "On April 23 (when TN will vote for the Assembly election), we will defeat Delhi's arrogance, together with slaves who support that arrogance."
Furthermore, the chief minister said that delimitation was about representation, about who gets a voice in India’s democracy. "It must strengthen the union, not weaken its balance," he said in a statement.
Guided by 'Periyar' EV Ramasamy, inspired by Dravidian icon CN Annadurai, and strengthened by late DMK patriarch, former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Tamil Nadu had always stood for justice, dignity, and federalism, he said.
The south stood united and made its voice heard and democracy prevailed.
The chief minister said: "We never opposed delimitation. We asked for fairness, for a process that is consulted, thought through, and agreed upon. Not one pushed through for political gain."
He added: "This is our resolve: every time Tamil Nadu’s rights are challenged, every time its identity or culture is questioned, and every time the federal spirit of India is tested, Tamil Nadu will rise united and unwavering. My sincere thanks to all opposition parties who stood united."
On the Women’s Reservation Bill, Stalin, the president of Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK said, "read the fine print...the truth is simple, the BJP could have delivered, it chose not to."
Elaborating, Stalin said the BJP called for a special session in the middle of state elections, over two-and-a-half years after the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in 2023, only to confirm that it cannot be implemented without a Census and delimitation.
The CM said: "Let us be very clear. We want the Women’s Reservation Bill to be implemented now. Tamil Nadu was among the earliest to implement reservation for women in local bodies." However, Tamil Nadu's concern was in respect of delimitation, which required careful thought to ensure that it was fair, especially for the southern states.
"We asked for consultation, clarity, and consensus. At the very least, the Bill could have been delinked and implemented. The NDA could have delinked it. They chose not to".
The BJP-led Centre could have consulted states on delimitation. However, they chose not to do so. "They could have addressed these concerns in the Bill. They chose not to. This is not justice. This is not intent. This is optics. Women in Tamil Nadu see through this. Women across India are not a vote bank. They are watching."
While 298 members voted in support of the bill in Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-third majority.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
