'Will Continue To Fight For Fair Delimitation': Stalin At Major Opposition Meeting, BJP Stages Protest

Last Updated:March 22, 2025, 11:58 IST

Stalin said the DMK wanted a fair implementation of the delimitation exercise, asserting that Tamil Nadu would lose eight seats if it is carried out in its current state.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin at the first Joint Committee meeting on delimitation. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday asserted that his DMK government will continue fighting till the delimitation exercise is conducted fairly while addressing the first Joint Action Committee meeting on the issue in Chennai. The meeting also included Chief Ministers of Kerala, Punjab, Telangana and Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar.

The Stalin-led DMK has long expressed concerns that the proposed delimitation will tilt the Lok Sabha’s numerical strength in favour of north Indian states and penalise south India for family planning measures, despite the BJP denying this.

“Delimitation of constituencies should not happen as per current population. We all should be firm in opposing it…With the decrease in the people’s representatives in Parliament, our strength to express our views will decrease," he said at the meeting.

Stalin said all states should oppose delimitation as per the current population as it would decease public representatives in the parliament and the strength of other parties to express their views. Laws will be passed without proper discussion, students will lose important opportunities and farmers will face setbacks, he said.

“We don’t oppose anything which strengthens democratic representation, but that action must be fair and should not affect fair political representation. This protest is not against delimitation but to urge for fair delimitation," Stalin said at the meeting.

MK Stalin On Amit Shah, Avoiding ‘Manipur-Like’ Fate

The meeting witnessed the participation of 14 leaders from at least five states – including Pinarayi Vijayan, Bhagwant Mann and Revanth Reddy – who are deliberating on the ‘threat’ posed by the Lok Sabha seats delimitation exercise to states with high economic growth and literacy.

During his address, Stalin said Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that South states would not lose any parliamentary seats was “ambiguous" and said the fight against delimitation was crucial to avoid a “Manipur-like" fate.

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“Manipur’s voice is already being suppressed due to its limited representation in Parliament," Stalin said. “⁠If the delimitation exercise proceeds unfairly, it will lead to external dominance over us."

“The reduction in the number of parliamentary seats should be seen as a reduction in our political strength. It is not about numbers, it is about power and the future," he added.

The Home Minister alleged that DMK is dividing the country in the name of language and is trying to hide its corruption. His remarks came as the DMK accused the Centre of imposing Hindi in Tamil Nadu in the garb of a three-language formula as proposed in the new Education Policy, a charge denied by the Modi government.

BJP Stages ‘Black Flag’ Protest

Meanwhile, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a black flag protest as the meeting went underway and criticised Stalin for not convening similar meetings on the Cauvery and Mullaiperiar water-sharing disputes with Karnataka and Kerala.

BJP leaders led by state party chief K Annamalai showed black flags and placards against the Stalin government and Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar over the issue of the Mekedatu project.

Annamalai also slammed Chief Minister Stalin for doing “drama" on delimitation, saying there is “no problem" with the proposed exercise. “Our state has various issues with neighbouring states. With Kerala, we have the Mullaperiyar Dam issue… On various occasions, our CM didn’t raise these issues when he visited neighbouring states. But today, he has called all CMs and is doing drama on delimitation, which is not even a problem at all," he told reporters.

BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan described the meeting as a “corruption hiding meeting" by the respective leaders. “The concerned CMs who are attending the meeting are doing so to hide the misgovernance in the concerned states. There are so many corruption charges in Telangana, Kerala. Their own people will be against their CMs attending this event," she asked Stalin.

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