Chennai, Aug 8:
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has reiterated that there is no change in its earlier stand on the issue of constituency delimitation, stating that there is nothing further to discuss at this stage. The party also announced that it will boycott the consultative meeting of Members of Parliament convened by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, terming it a “political drama.”
In a statement, DMK Deputy General Secretary Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said that the issue of delimitation was first flagged by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who had convened an all-party meeting in Tamil Nadu and passed resolutions outlining the state’s demands. She noted that Stalin also took the initiative to bring together Chief Ministers and leaders from other states to form a joint action committee in Chennai, raising the slogan “Tamil Nadu will fight, Tamil Nadu will win.”
She further recalled that despite political pressures, the DMK had strongly opposed the delimitation bill in Parliament, even during election campaigning, by staging protests, wearing black badges, and symbolically burning copies of the draft legislation. According to her, the bill was ultimately stalled and did not pass in Parliament.
Kanimozhi pointed out that no official announcement has been made by the Union government regarding the introduction or passage of a delimitation law in the current Parliamentary session. With no revised draft available, she said, there is no new development warranting further discussion. She emphasized that Tamil Nadu’s position has already been clearly conveyed through resolutions passed in the earlier all-party meeting.
The resolutions demand that delimitation continue to be based on the 1971 population data for another 30 years beyond 2026, with necessary constitutional amendments. They also insist that any increase in parliamentary seats must maintain the existing proportional representation of states, ensuring that Tamil Nadu’s current share of 7.18% is not reduced.