Coimbatore: Union minister Ramdas Athawale, who is also national president of Republican Party of India (A), on Thursday said there was no protection for dalits under DMK govt and that his party’s main goal was to help install an NDA govt in Tamil Nadu to address the rising atrocities against dalits and women.Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, Athawale said while they were not holding any formal talks with Vijay at present, if TVK wins seats his support could be sought after the election to form govt. Pointing out that Vijay posed a challenge to DMK, as he could draw significant votes, the minister said, “While NDA is aiming for a clear majority, it will welcome Vijay into the alliance to strengthen it further.” Athawale described the upcoming special session of Parliament as a historic step towards gender equality. He said the central govt was committed to the 33% Women’s Reservation Bill, which he said reflected Dr B R Ambedkar’s vision in the original Hindu Code Bill. He said women could hold 273 seats in Lok Sabha in future. “The strength of Lok Sabha could rise to 816 members after delimitation and the 33% reservation will be a major factor in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls and the next Tamil Nadu assembly election.” Athawale praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, saying India’s economy had risen to fourth largest in the world from 10th. He said more than 25 crore people had been lifted out of poverty through schemes such as Mudra Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. He said four crore houses had already been provided under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and three crore more had been sanctioned. The minister said he would campaign for NDA candidates in Madurai, Tirupur, Namakkal and Dindigul districts.
