Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin has said the Union government was “punishing” southern states for properly implementing population control scheme. He has also asserted that opposition unity can defeat the ruling BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Talking to THE WEEK, he said differences between the Congress and regional parties in the opposition will fade away in due course and the national party will be the all-India face of the opposition.
“Rahul Gandhi is India’s hope,” he added.
“To punish states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which have implemented the population control scheme in a proper manner, the number of constituencies will come down,” he said while talking about the delimitation exercise.
“The north Indian states which did not implement the population control scheme properly have recorded an increase in population and will get more Lok Sabha seats. The BJP is trying to implement this system only to take revenge on the south Indian states which did not vote for it. The party thinks that it can be implemented if it wins the next elections,” he added.
Ahead of the scheduled opposition meeting in Bengaluru next week, after the Patna deliberations last month, he was optimistic that the BJP would be defeated if the opposition stayed together.
“Patna meeting has sent out a strong message that the whole of India has come together to save democracy and constitutional ethos.” “Our detractors said we would never come together. They said we would not be able to organise even a meeting, that we would not reach a consensus and that we would break up after just one meeting. All these have been proved wrong. Leaders from all over India have come together. This has given me huge confidence. We will definitely achieve our political target,” Stalin added.
He said his suggestions in the Patna meeting included the regional party which is strong in a state leading the alliance there and that seat-sharing can be done where an alliance is not possible.
“If that, too does not work, a common candidate can be fielded. It may not be proper for parties to come together in an alliance after the election. A common minimum programme must be worked out among the political parties and a joint action committee should be formed to ensure the smooth functioning of the alliance,” he said.