Addressing Women's Day celebrations here this evening, he said barring the two regional parties, namely DMK and AIADMK, no other party was backing the bill wholeheartedly.
He regretted that the bill could not be passed by the Congress-led government despite their (Congress) best efforts. If it had been passed, there would be 182 women MPs in parliament now, he said.
In states Like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh women did not even have the right to fall in love and marry, he said. "In some instances,the couple are burnt if they love and marry."
Referring to state Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's reported claim that it was she who introduced the self-help group system in the country, Chidambaram said it was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who introduced it.