Chennai, March 22 — Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday said the fight against the GOI’s proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies will extend to the legal arena. Speaking at a Joint Action Committee meeting in Chennai, he warned that the exercise, if based on the upcoming census, would silence the voices of several states, similar to the ongoing crisis in Manipur.
“If delimitation is carried out based on population figures, states that have successfully controlled their population will be punished,” Stalin said. He argued that reducing parliamentary seats for southern states would diminish their political influence. “For two years, Manipur has been in turmoil, but their cries for justice have been ignored because they lack the political strength to be heard nationally,” he added.
The meeting saw participation from 14 leaders across at least five states. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were among the attendees, along with former Andhra Pradesh and Odisha CMs Jagan Mohan Reddy and Naveen Patnaik.
Vijayan described the delimitation plan as the “sword of Damocles,” accusing the BJP of pushing it forward without consultation. “This sudden move is not driven by Constitutional principles or democratic imperatives but by narrow political interests,” he said.
Stalin proposed forming an expert panel, named the ‘Joint Action Committee for Fair Delimitation,’ to devise political and legal strategies. He argued that diminishing representation would reduce states’ leverage in securing funds and influence over policymaking. “Laws will be enacted without our consent. Women will lose opportunities for power, students will be denied chances, and farmers will remain unsupported,” he said.
Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar backed the southern CMs, declaring, “At any cost, we cannot let down our country and our seats be reduced.” He said southern states had adhered to family planning policies and census regulations, making them progressive regions. “Economically and in literacy, we’ve always led the way. We protect the national interest, not just our own,” he stated.
The BJP, meanwhile, slammed the meeting. Party leader Tamilisai Soundararajan called it a “corruption-hiding meeting” and questioned Stalin’s priorities. “Did he hold similar meetings over the Cauvery or Mullaperiyar water disputes?” she asked. She claimed the black flag protest staged by the BJP was to protect Tamil Nadu’s interests.
BJP national spokesperson C R Kesavan dismissed the meeting as a “delimitation drama” meant to divert attention from DMK’s “corrupt and disastrous misrule.” He accused Stalin of fear-mongering, saying it would “boomerang” on the DMK.
The DMK has reached out to leaders from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, and Punjab to join the fight against the delimitation plan.
