Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy vowed Tuesday to use "all political and legal means" to block a Catalan independence bid after separatist parties submitted a bill on secession to the regional Catalan parliament.

In a rare televised address to the nation, Rajoy slammed the bill as an "act of provocation" which would "have no effect".

"The state will not hesitate to use all the political and legal means afforded by the law and the constitution to defend Spain's sovereignty," he said.