- Saturday, March 22, 2025
Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab are the seven states the DMK has reached out for the meeting
By: shajil kumar
TAMIL NADU’S ruling DMK is all set to host its first meeting of states over delimitation here on March 22 and chief minister M K Stalin on Friday said it was more than a meeting, which marked the beginning of a movement that will shape the future of the country to achieve fair delimitation.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has arrived in Chennai to take part in the meeting, to be held under the auspices of the DMK proposed Joint Action Committee (JAC) and chief ministers of Punjab and Telangana, Bhagwant Mann and Revanth Reddy respectively, are among the leaders expected to take part in the deliberations.
Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab are the seven states the DMK has reached out for the meeting.
“A historic day for Indian federalism,! Stalin said on the eve of the meeting and BJP Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai alleged the meeting on delimitation was a “delusional drama.”
Stalin said: “I extend my warmest welcome to the leaders from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab who are joining us for the Joint Action Committee meeting on #FairDelimitation.”
Describing the DMK-led all-party meeting held here on March 5 as a “landmark moment,” in which as many as 58 parties participated by putting aside difference for a single cause, the chief minister said, “this overwhelming consensus reflected Tamil Nadu’s unwavering commitment” to democracy and justice.
Further, the CM said: “Building on this historic unity, our MPs and Ministers actively engaged with leaders from other affected states, strengthening our collective resolve. What started as Tamil Nadu’s initiative has now grown into a national movement, with states across India joining hands to demand fair representation.
“This is a defining moment in our collective journey. This is more than a meeting—it is the beginning of a movement that will shape the future of our country. Together, we will achieve #FairDelimitation!”
In a separate video message, Stalin also said that if Tamil Nadu and other states lose representation in Parliament due to the proposed delimitation, it will strike at the very foundation of federalism, erode democracy and lead to compromise of rights.
The DMK regime has been at loggerheads with the BJP-led Centre over several issues including non-release of education funds by the union government and the proposed delimitation exercise is the fresh point of disagreement.
Opposition to National Education Policy, NEET, alleged Hindi imposition are among the issues in which the DMK is cornering the BJP-led Centre. When the Tamil Nadu government days ago used a Tamil letter ‘Roo’ (for promotional material on state budget 2025-26) to denote Rupee it led to a big debate.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had assured that southern states will not lose a “single Parliamentary seat” and accused Stalin of spreading “misinformation,” on March 21, 2025 said: “There have been enough divisions in the nation in the name of language, and it should not happen anymore.”
Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Shah said every Indian language is a treasure for the country. “Hindi is not in competition with any Indian language, it is only a friend of other languages,” he said.
On March 5, 2025 Stalin had said that the 1971 population should be the basis for delimitation of LS seats for 30 years from 2026 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make an assurance in the Parliament.
The JAC is to take forward such demands and create awareness among the people.
Tamil Nadu’s present representational percentage in Parliament, which is 7.18, should not be changed under any circumstances, the all-party meeting had urged.
BRS team to attend
A delegation of the BRS, led by its working president K T Rama Rao, left for Chennai on Friday (21) to attend a meeting on the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.
Rama Rao, son of BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, alleged in a statement that the current delimitation policy “weakens the representation of southern states, despite their crucial role in the country’s economic development.”
The BRS, which has consistently opposed the delimitation policy from the outset, will elaborate on its stance during the meeting on Saturday, the statement said.
“The BRS leadership believes this conference will strengthen the unity of southern states and send a strong message of opposition to the central government regarding the proposed delimitation policy,” it added.
Trinamool Congress to skip
The Trinamool Congress will not send any representative to Chennai to attend the meeting of states over delimitation, said a party source on Friday (21).
Trinamool Congress (TMC) feels the duplicate voter ID number issue is more important at present, as it may have an impact on the assembly elections in Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Patnaik deputes 2 leaders
Odisha’s opposition party BJD has nominated two senior leaders to represent the party the meeting on delimitation in Chennai.
The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD in a statement said that former minister Sanjay Das Burma and former MP Amar Patnaik would attend the meeting.
“Odisha is among the eight states that have controlled population and significantly contributed to the economic growth of the country. Now, the central government has plans to undertake the delimitation process only on the criteria of population. Therefore, Odisha is likely to be affected,” Das Burma said. (PTI)
