'No One Can Touch Tamil Nadu': Rahul Gandhi As Constitution Amendment Bill Fails

A day after the defeat of the Centre's Delimitation-linked Constitutional Amendment Bill in Parliament, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi struck an emotive chord in Tamil Nadu, saying that any attempt to weaken the State's voice in the Union would be firmly resisted by the INDIA alliance.

The Centre needed a two-thirds majority to get the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, passed, but fell short of the mark. The proposed legislation saw 298 MPs voting in its favour and 230 voting against.

Two other bills, including one for delimitation and increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, were not put to vote after the first one failed, with the Centre saying they were "intrinsically linked" to the legislation related to women's reservation. 

Addressing a public meeting in Ponneri on Friday as part of his campaign for the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, Gandhi framed the electoral battle as both ideological and political, centered on federalism, social justice, and the protection of Tamil identity.

"It is an honour for me to come to Tamil Nadu. Over the years, I have developed a relationship with the people of this State," Gandhi said. "My family comes from Jammu and Kashmir. I feel at home there. I was not born in Tamil Nadu. My family is not from here. Yet I feel attached to the soil of Tamil Nadu."

Taking aim at the BJP and the RSS, he added, "When I see them attacking Tamil language and Tamil culture, I feel as if I am Tamil. In my mind, I ask - How dare they attack the language and culture of Tamil Nadu?"

Referring to the Bill defeated in Parliament on Friday, Gandhi alleged that it was a backdoor attempt to alter the federal balance.

"Yesterday they came with a new Bill. They said they were bringing a Women's reservation Bill but that had already been passed. It was being brought in the name of delimitation. The idea was to reduce Tamil Nadu's representation in the Union of India, to weaken southern States, small States and the North Eastern States," he said.

Describing India as "a Union of States," he stressed that every State must have an equal voice and the freedom to express its language and protect its traditions. 

"Then the Prime Minister says 'one nation, one language, one people' - and attacks the Constitution of India. Please understand what the BJP and RSS are trying to do," he added.

In one of his sharpest attacks yet, Gandhi accused the BJP of attempting to erode Tamil identity.

"The BJP wants to attack the Tamil language, destroy Tamil history and twist Tamil culture. We will never allow them to do that," he stated. "They are ignorant people. They don't understand who Tamil people are. They don't understand what Tamil means here, a history of thousands of years."

"They want a Chief Minister who takes orders from Delhi," Gandhi added.

According to Gandhi, the larger political strategy was to reduce Tamil Nadu's national influence. "The whole plan was to reduce your strength nationally. My brothers in the DMK and the INDIA alliance are protecting the Tamil language from the assault of BJP and AIADMK," he said.

Launching a scathing attack on the principal Opposition party in the State, Gandhi said the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) had lost its autonomy.

"The AIADMK had a great tradition of defending Tamil Nadu. But that AIADMK died long back. What you see today is a hollow shell, a mask. It is fully controlled by Modi and Shah," he alleged, accusing the BJP of "hollowing out" the party.

Congress's Six Guarantees

Shifting to welfare promises, Gandhi said Tamil Nadu had shown India "what social justice and protection of women mean" and unveiled six guarantees aimed at deepening that legacy:

• Rs 2,000 per month assistance for every woman in Tamil Nadu.
• Rs 2,000 per month for senior citizens and differently abled persons.
• Rs 2,000 monthly scholarship for college students.
• Rs 2,500 per month food security support for families.
• Filling all government vacancies within 300 days, with 60% reservation in Group C and D jobs.
• Free property registration for first-time women property owners.

"These guarantees are meant to strengthen social justice in Tamil Nadu," the Congress leader said, adding that governance should empower panchayats and local leadership rather than centralise authority in Delhi.

'No Force Can Touch Tamil'

Concluding his speech on a defiant note, Gandhi said, "Tamil is thousands of years of memories and experience. It is the language you breathe. It is the emotion of the Tamil people. There is no force on this planet that can touch Tamil Nadu or its language."

Voting in Tamil Nadu will be held in a single phase on April 23. Counting is on May 4. The main contestants are the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by AIADMK with the BJP and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) as allies. SPA members include the Congress, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).