Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has reached out to several regional counterparts to form a united front against the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, which he criticizes as an attack on federalism. In a call to action, Stalin has invited seven Chief Ministers, including Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, Bhagwant Mann of Punjab, and Mohan Chandra Majhi of Odisha (a BJP-ruled state), to join a ‘Joint Action Committee’ to oppose the Centre’s plan.
The meeting, scheduled for March 22 in Chennai, will include Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, Telangana’s Revanth Reddy, Andhra Pradesh’s Chandrababu Naidu, along with senior political figures from opposition parties and the BJP from each of these states. The goal is to “chart a collective course” against the delimitation proposal, which Stalin argues will unfairly penalize states that have controlled their populations.
Stalin criticized the delimitation exercise, calling it “a blatant assault on federalism,” and said it would punish states like Tamil Nadu that have successfully implemented population control measures. He took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his views, stating, “We will not allow this democratic injustice!”
Ahead of the crucial elections in Tamil Nadu next year, Stalin has been vocally opposing the Centre’s decisions, particularly regarding the imposition of Hindi and the proposed delimitation. He claims that both measures would undermine the federal nature of India’s Constitution and negatively impact the Tamil people and their language.
The Centre, however, has refuted claims of a “Hindi imposition,” stating that the new National Education Policy and the three-language formula do not mandate the study of Hindi for any student. Additionally, in response to criticisms about the delimitation plan, the Centre insists that southern states will not face any disadvantage under the new proposal.
In a letter to opposition Chief Ministers, Stalin pointed out that previous delimitation exercises had been postponed after 1976 following a 2002 amendment, during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure. The amendment froze changes to the number of Lok Sabha seats, currently set at 543, until at least 2026. Stalin expressed concerns that the Centre’s new plan, based on current population data, could result in southern states losing seats in Parliament while northern states, including those governed by the BJP, could gain more representation due to their population growth.
“The delimitation math is simple and sobering,” Stalin wrote in his letter. “Reports suggest the exercise could either redistribute the existing 543 seats or increase the total number beyond 800. In either scenario, states with effective population control policies will suffer significant losses if the exercise is based on post-2026 population levels.”
The proposed meeting in Chennai aims to bring together a broad coalition to resist the Centre’s move and ensure that states’ voices are not diluted in the national political process.
