World
India
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the upcoming delimitation process is conducted based on the 1971 census, extending its application for the next 30 years. Addressing an all-party meeting in Chennai on March 5, he emphasized the need for increasing the number of parliamentary seats and making necessary constitutional amendments to protect the political representation of Tamil Nadu and other southern states.
“We urge the Prime Minister to assure that the delimitation process will be done based on the 1971 census only after 2026 and for the next 30 years. We also demand that the number of parliamentary seats should be increased and the necessary constitutional amendments should be made. This all-party meeting places these demands as the minimum expectations of Tamil Nadu. We will take this issue to the people and create awareness about it. We will also form a joint action committee for MPs from South India to take this issue forward,” Stalin stated.
Fear of Losing Seats in Parliament
CM Stalin warned that under the current formula, Tamil Nadu could lose 12 parliamentary seats due to delimitation. He explained that the state’s success in controlling population growth through family planning and women’s empowerment could lead to a reduced number of seats.
“If the total number of parliamentary constituencies increases, Tamil Nadu should get 22 additional seats. However, based on the present population, we would only receive 10 additional seats, leading to a net loss of 12. This is a direct attack on Tamil Nadu’s political representation in Indian democracy. The voice of our state is being stifled, and our strength in protecting the interests of our people is being diminished,” he added.
Political Reactions and Boycotts
The all-party meeting in Chennai, chaired by Stalin, saw participation from major political parties, including the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Congress, Left parties, and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-politician Vijay. However, the Tamil Nadu BJP boycotted the meeting, with state president K Annamalai dismissing the concerns over delimitation as “imaginary” and calling the meeting “the funniest.” The Tamil nationalist party Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) also abstained from attending.
BJP’s Stand on Delimitation and Tamil Representation
TN BJP Vice President Narayanan Thirupathy acknowledged that South India has played a crucial role in reducing population growth, which is why it received 0.5% in the Finance Commission. However, he criticized Stalin’s stance, arguing that only the BJP government has recognized Tamil Nadu’s contribution, not the DMK.
“MK Stalin said that Sanskrit is a dead language. Then why was it included in the scheduled language in 2005 when DMK was a part of the UPA government? … MK Stalin has taken an oath on the Indian constitution, not on the Tamil Nadu Constitution. He should understand this as a responsible Chief Minister… He should ask his MPs to resign if they are against Hindi as the official language declared by the Parliament of India, the Constitutional Assembly… If he actually loved Tamil, he would have instantly accepted the National Education Policy to grow Tamil everywhere in India,” Thirupathy told ANI.
Stalin’s Opposition to Hindi Imposition
Earlier on Wednesday, Stalin wrote to party workers as part of his campaign against Hindi imposition. He recalled DMK founder C N Annadurai’s views, clarifying that the party’s objective was not to oppose Hindi but to ensure equal recognition for all Indian languages, including Tamil.
While the BJP argues that Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds Tamil in high esteem and promotes a three-language formula for linguistic growth, Stalin pointed out the disparity in funding between Tamil and Sanskrit, claiming that it proves the central government’s bias against Tamil.
