Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. File
| Photo Credit: M. Moorthy
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday (March 24, 2025) said a delegation of Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu would soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to ensure that a fair delimitation process is implemented. Delimitation should be done in such a manner that the political representation and democratic rights of Tamil Nadu and other States, which stand to lose if the delimitation process is undertaken based on the 2026 population census, are protected, he said.
Speaking on the floor of the Legislative Assembly about the meeting of the Joint Action Committee on Fair Delimitation held recently in Chennai, he said the lead taken by Tamil Nadu on the issue of delimitation has had a national impact. Chief Ministers of Kerala, Telangana, and Punjab, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, abd Leader of the Opposition in Odisha (via video conference), among others, had participated in the meeting.
“It was decided through a resolution [at the JAC meeting] that delimitation should be done transparently in consultation with States and that it [the existing freeze on delimitation] should be extended for a further 25 years. The States that implemented population control measures should not be penalised. Appropriate [Constitutional] amendments should be brought in the Parliament, and a resolution should be passed in the respective State Assemblies. It was also decided that those who participated in the JAC would seek the Prime Minister’s intervention by meeting him and handing over a letter to him in the upcoming Parliament session, urging him to protect federalism, democratic rights, and political representation (of States),” he said.
“I thank all political parties, including the principal Opposition party AIADMK [which participated in an all-party meeting previously], and other parties that participated in the Joint Action Committee, on behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu. To take the slogan ‘Tamil Nadu will protest and win’ to the next step and to protect the rights of States, and seek a fair delimitation process, we are planning to meet the Prime Minister along with Members of Parliament from political parties in Tamil Nadu that have representation in Parliament,” Mr Stalin said.
Published – March 24, 2025 03:47 pm IST